Interaction management in an online agricultural system

ABSTRACT

An online agricultural system manages and optimizes interactions of entities within the system to enable the execution of transaction and the transportation of crop products. The online agricultural system accesses historic and environmental data describing factors that may impact crop product transactions and/or transportation to determine market prices for crop products and crop product transportation. Responsive to receiving a request from an entity, the online agricultural system determines an optimal transaction for the entity, such as a price for selling a crop product, an available crop product for purchase, or a transportation opportunity to transport a crop product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/662,209, filed Apr. 24, 2018, U.S. Provisional Application No.62/668,247, filed May 7, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Application No.62/703,846, filed Jul. 26, 2018, which are incorporated by reference inits entirety. This application also incorporates U.S. application Ser.No. 16/057,387, filed Aug. 7, 2018 by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification relates generally to the management and optimizationof interactions in an online agricultural system, and specifically tothe management of transactions of and the transportation of cropproducts.

BACKGROUND

Various geographic, environmental, and financial factors may affect theexchange and transport of crop products. For example, current marketprices for crop products may depend on a number of factors including acurrent supply and demand, a future predicted supply and demand,qualities of the crop products, transportation costs and requirementsfor the crop products, and the like. Similarly, transportation costs forcrop products may depend on a number of factors including trafficconditions, distance traveled, equipment requirements, expected waittimes, and the like. The quantity of information associated with thesefactors is so large as to limit the amount of information that can beutilized by crop producers, prospective acquiring entities, andtransportation entities when making decisions for crop producttransactions and transportation arrangements. Accordingly, cropproducers, prospective acquiring entities, and transportation entitiesoften make decisions based on an incomplete set of information or animperfect analysis of available information, which may lead tosuboptimal transactions or transportation arrangements.

In the current agricultural marketing system crop products change handsmultiple times throughout the supply chain, resulting in opaque pricingand valuation at each transfer. In many agricultural markets, the numberof suppliers far exceeds the number of buyers, giving a disproportionatebargaining advantage to buyers. This, coupled with market uncertainty,for example attributable to unknown credit worthiness and unverifiedquality of the good transacted, creates inefficient markets.Additionally, the dearth of accessible and verified data regarding thevaluation and effectiveness of sustainable production practices makes ithard to meet consumer demands for these attributes. The quality andidentity of goods is often compromised through the currenttransportation and storage infrastructure.

The transportation of agricultural goods is inefficient due tonon-optimal utilization of transportation assets, difficulty in locatingtransportation opportunities and transportation providers, one directionshipments, inaccurate reporting of delivered quantities and qualities,and cheating opportunities due to lack of transparency at delivery.

Aspects of the present invention reduce the costs of transactionsbetween unknown parties by providing a trusted party who independentlyverifies product quality and/or payment and communicates thetrustworthiness of one or more market participants or transportationproviders based on their transaction history. Aspects of the presentinvention provide a means for crop producers to collectively meet demandopportunities of prospective acquiring entities that could not be whollysatisfied out of their individual inventories.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, an online agricultural system receives, from a firstcrop producer, a first request to list a first crop product within anonline agricultural system. The first request identifies at least oneof: a crop product type, a first quantity of the crop product, a firstcrop product price, and a first location of the crop product. The onlineagricultural system receives, from a first prospective acquiring entity,a second request to acquire a second crop product, the second requestidentifying at least the crop product type, a second quantity of thecrop product, a second crop product price, and a second location towhich the crop product is to be delivered. The online agriculturalsystem monitors, by a server in real-time, a third price associated withtransferring possession of a third quantity of the crop product from thefirst crop producer to the first prospective acquiring entity. The thirdprice is determined based at least in part on the first location and thesecond location. The third quantity is equal to or less than the firstquantity and equal to or less than the second quantity. In response to asum of the first price and the monitored third price being equal to orless than the second price, the online agricultural system automaticallyexecutes a first contract and a second contract. The first contract isexecuted between the online agricultural system and the first cropproducer to purchase the third quantity of the crop product from thecrop producer. The second contract is executed between the onlineagricultural system and the first prospective acquiring entity to sellthe third quantity of the crop product to the first prospectiveacquiring entity. In some embodiments, a quality specification of afirst crop product and a quality specification of a second crop productindividually do not satisfy a quality requirement requested by apotential acquisition entity. However, in embodiments where acombination of the first crop product and the second crop product doessatisfy the quality requirement, contracts can be automatically executedbetween crop producers associated with the first crop product and thesecond crop product and the online agricultural system, and anadditional contract can be automatically executed between the onlineagricultural system and the potential acquisition entity.

In another embodiment, an online agricultural system receives, from afirst crop producer, a request to list a crop product within the onlineagricultural system. The first request identifies a type of the cropproduct, a first quantity of the crop product, and a location of thecrop product. The online agricultural system accesses current cropproduct information. The current crop product information comprises acurrent available quantity and current price of the type of the cropproduct associated with the location of the crop product within theonline agricultural system and current satellite data representative ofthe location of the crop product. The online agricultural systemaccesses historic crop product information. The historic crop productinformation comprises historic quantities and historic prices of thetype of the crop product associated with the location of the cropproduct within the agricultural system and historic satellite datarepresentative of the location of the crop product. The onlineagricultural system trains a price model for the crop product using theaccessed current crop information and the accessed historic cropinformation. The online agricultural system predicts a future price ofthe type of the crop product using the price model. The onlineagricultural system presents, within an interface of the onlineagricultural system displayed by a client device of the crop producer,the predicted future price of the type of the crop product.

In another embodiment, the online agricultural system receives, from oneor more crop producers, a corresponding first request to list a cropproduct within the online agricultural system. Each first requestidentifies a first type of the crop product, a first quantity of thecrop product, a first location of the crop product, and a first price ofthe crop product. The online agricultural system receives, from one ormore prospective acquiring entities, a corresponding second request toacquire a crop product within the online agricultural system. Eachsecond request identifies a second type of the crop product, a secondquantity of the crop product, a second location to which the cropproduct is to be delivered, and a second price of the crop product. Theonline agricultural system computes, for each combination of a firstrequest and a second request, a first translated price, wherein thefirst translated price is a price for the crop product identified by thefirst request at the second location identified by the second request.The online agricultural system computes, for each combination of a firstrequest and a second request, a second translated price, wherein thesecond translated price is a price for the crop product identified bythe second request at the first location identified by the firstrequest. The online agricultural system modifies a first interfacedisplayed by a first client device of a first crop producer of the oneor more crop producers to include a set of the second translated pricescorresponding to the first location identified by the first requestcorresponding to the first crop producer. The online agricultural systemmodifies a second interface displayed by a second client device of afirst prospective acquiring entity of the one or more prospectiveacquiring entities to include a set of the first translated pricescorresponding to the second location identified by the second requestcorresponding to the first prospective acquiring entity. It should benoted that in other embodiments, prices can be translated based on a setof quality metrics associated with a crop product listed by a cropproducer, based on a set of quality metrics associated with a requestedcrop product listed by a potential acquisition entity, based on cropprocessing costs, based on crop storage costs, or based on any othercost associated with an interaction between the crop producer and thepotential acquisition entity.

In another embodiment, an online agricultural system accesses aninteraction within the online agricultural system between a cropproducer and an acquiring entity. The interaction is associated with acrop product listing identifying a crop product type, a crop productquantity, a crop product pick-up location, and a crop productdestination location. The online agricultural system identifies, inreal-time, a set of transportation entities each able to transport thecrop product from the crop product pick-up location to the crop productdestination location. The identification is performed based at least inpart on: a distance between the transportation entity and the cropproduct pick-up location, a distance between the crop product pick-uplocation and the crop product destination location, environmentalfactors associated with transporting the crop product, and equipmentrequirements associated with transporting the crop product. The onlineagricultural system modifies, for each of one or more of the set oftransportation entities, for a crop producer, or for a prospectiveacquiring entity, an interface displayed by a client device to include atransportation price. The transportation price is computed based atleast in part on: the distance between the crop product pick-up locationand the crop product destination location, and the environmental factorsassociated with transporting the crop product. The listing interface isconfigured to, in response to a selection of the transportation price,automatically execute a contract with a corresponding transportationentity to pick up the crop product at the crop product pick-up locationand to transport the crop product to the crop product destinationlocation in exchange for compensation based on the transportation price.

In another embodiment, the online agricultural system identifies, for acrop product transaction within an online agricultural system, a pick-uplocation of a crop product, a destination location of a crop product, apick-up window, a delivery window, a type of crop product, and aquantity of crop product. The online agricultural system accessesenvironmental information describing a set of expected environmentalconditions during the transportation of the crop product from thepick-up location to the destination location. The online agriculturalsystem accesses historic information describing previous transportationavailability and prices associated with the pick-up location and thedestination location. The online agricultural system computes atransportation price corresponding to each of a set of one or moretransportation entities over one or more transportation routes betweenthe pick-up location and the destination location. Each transportationentity is able to pick up the crop product at the pick-up locationduring the pick-up window and to deliver the crop product to thedestination location during the delivery window. Each transportationprice is computed based on the crop product type, the crop quantity, theaccessed environmental information, and the accessed historicinformation. The online agricultural system modifies, for each of theset of one or more transportation entities, an interface displayed by aclient device of the transportation entity to include a lowest computedtransportation price corresponding to any of the set of one or moretransportation entities and to identify the transportation routeassociated with the lowest transportation price. The interface isconfigured to, in response to an input from a transportation entity,automatically execute a contract with the transportation entity topick-up the crop product at the pick-up location and to transport thecrop product to the destination location in exchange for compensationbased on the lowest computed transportation price.

In another embodiment, the online agricultural system identifies, for acrop product transaction within the online agricultural system, apick-up location of a crop product, a destination location of a cropproduct, a pick-up window, a delivery window, a type of crop product,and a quantity of crop product. A set of candidate transportationentities is identified, each able to pick up the crop product at thepick-up location during the pick-up window and to deliver thecrop-product to the destination location during the delivery window, andeach associated with a set of transportation preferences selected by orinferred from the candidate transportation entity. A transportationprice is computed for each candidate transportation entity, thetransportation price for transporting the crop product from the pick-uplocation to the destination location based on the crop product type, thecrop quantity, and the set of transportation preferences associated withthe candidate transportation entity. An interface of each candidatetransportation entity is modified to include a lowest computedtransportation price of the computed transportation prices. Theinterface is configured to, in response to an input from atransportation entity, automatically execute a contract with thetransportation entity to pick-up the crop product at the pick-uplocation and to transport the crop product to the destination locationin exchange for compensation based on the transportation price.

In another embodiment, the online agricultural system receives, via atransportation interface displayed by a client device of a requestingentity, a request for a route to transport a crop product. The onlineagricultural system identifies, for the crop product, a pick-up locationof the crop product, a destination location of the crop product, a cropproduct type, and a crop product quantity. The online agriculturalsystem accesses map data describing a geographic area including thepick-up location and the destination location, the map data includingroad information and traffic data. The online agricultural systemidentifies a set of candidate routes between the originating locationand the destination location based on the accessed map data. The onlineagricultural system accesses weather information describing expectedweather conditions within the geographic area. The online agriculturalsystem selects a route from the set of candidate routes based on theaccessed weather information. The online agricultural system modifiesthe transportation interface to display the selected route to therequesting entity.

In another embodiment, the online agricultural system receives, via atransportation interface displayed by a client device of atransportation entity, a request for a route to transport one or morecrop products, the request including one or both of a transportationtime period and a transportation mileage range. A set of crop producttransactions is accessed within the online agricultural system, eachincluding a pick-up location, a destination location, a pick-up window,a delivery window, a transportation price, and a type of crop product. Asubset of the set of crop product transactions is selected thatoptimizes a sum of transportation prices of the selected subset of cropproduct transactions without exceeding the transportation time period orthe transportation mileage range. The transportation interface ismodified to include the selected subset of one or more crop listings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment in which a centralizedcrop transaction system and a crop transportation system operate,according to various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an architecture of a centralized croptransaction system, according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate example interfaces for performing transactionswithin the centralized crop transaction system, according to variousembodiments.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate an example optimization for crop transactions bythe centralized crop transaction system, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates example interactions between a grower, a buyer, and acentralized crop transaction system in executing transactions, accordingto various embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process for modifying contracts for croptransactions based on agricultural criteria, according to variousembodiments.

FIGS. 7A-E illustrate example user interfaces for notifications forclient devices from the centralized crop transaction system, accordingto various embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process for using a machine learning modelto determine future prices for crops, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example for identifying transaction opportunitiesbased at least in part on translated prices determined from cropdestinations, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example for identifying transaction opportunitiesbased at least in part on a translated price determined for alternatecrop products, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example process for determining translated pricesfor crop products, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an architecture of a crop transportationsystem, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example grower interface for pending croptransactions, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example process for modifying a crop transportinterface to display transportation costs, according to variousembodiments.

FIGS. 15A-B illustrate an example for arranging for crop transportationbased on transportation entity transportation costs, according tovarious embodiments.

FIGS. 16A-B illustrate an example for arranging for crop transportationbased on one or more transportation entity preferences, according tovarious embodiments.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example process for modifying a crop transportinterface to display transportation costs based on historic andenvironmental information, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example process for modifying a transportationentity interface to display transportation costs for crop producttransactions, according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 19A-B illustrate examples for determining a route for transportinga crop product based on map data and environmental information,according to various embodiments.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example process for determining a route fortransporting a crop product, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example process for identifying crop producttransactions based on maximizing transportation cost, according tovarious embodiments.

The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION System Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment 100 for a centralizedcrop transaction system 110 and a crop transportation system 150. Thesystem environment 100 shown by FIG. 1 comprises one or more growers130, one or more buyers 140, one or more data sources 120, and one ormore transportation entities 160. In an embodiment, the centralized croptransaction system 110 and the crop transportation system 150 include anintegrated web or mobile application and a back-end computinginfrastructure (such as one or more web servers). In another embodiment,the centralized crop transaction system 110 includes a first web ormobile application and the crop transportation system 150 includes asecond web or mobile application distinct from the first web or mobileapplication. In alternative configurations, different and/or additionalcomponents may be included in the system environment 100. For example,the system environment 100 may include additional or fewer growers,buyers, external data sources, and/or transportation entities. Likewise,in some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110 and thecrop transportation system 150 are unrelated and/or are managed bydifferent entities. In various embodiments, the system environment 100only includes one of the centralized crop transaction system 110 and thecrop transportation system 150.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 is an online agriculturalsystem that manages interactions directed to the marketing, production,valuation, acquisition, and exchange of ownership of any agriculturalgood (or simply, “crop product” or “crop”) between one or more entitiesin real-time. The real-time management of interactions refers to themonitoring of interactions and changes to data as the interactions andchanges occur. That is, the centralized crop transaction system 110monitors changes impacting the marketing, production, valuation,acquisition, and exchange of ownership of crop products and performsactions based on the monitored changes as they occur or within athreshold time period of occurrence. The centralized crop transactionsystem 110 receives requests to sell or purchase crop products andexecutes contracts to sell or purchase crop products with users of thesystem based on monitored data impacting crop product transactions. Forexample, the centralized crop transaction system 110 receives requestsfrom growers 130 to list crop products for sale on the onlineagricultural system. Likewise, the centralized crop transaction system110 additionally receives requests from buyers 140 to purchase cropproducts on the online agricultural system. It should be noted thatreference made herein to a request or listing that identifies a cropproduct type, a location of the crop product, a quality of the cropproduct, a quantity of the crop product, and other informationassociated with the crop product can explicitly include suchinformation, but one or more portions of such information can beinferred from an analysis of historic data associated with the cropproducer or the crop product, the prospective acquiring entity,satellite data associated with the location of any crop product, or anyother suitable information. Responsive to conditions being met by one ormore requests, the centralized crop transaction system 110 executes oneor more contracts with the growers 130 and buyers 140 to complete atransaction.

The crop transportation system 150 can be associated with or part of anonline agricultural system and assists with the transportation of cropproducts. The crop transportation system 150 receives requests for cropproducts to be transported between locations and identifies one or moretransportation entities 160 to execute the transportation for the cropproducts. For example, the crop transportation system 150 identifies acrop transaction executed on the online agricultural system andidentifies a location for pick-up and a destination location for thecrop product of the crop transaction. Based on the availabletransportation entities 160, the crop transportation system 150identifies one or more transportation entities to perform the croptransportation and, responsive to an acceptance from the one or moretransportation entities, assigns the transportation entity to executethe transportation.

Growers 130, buyers 140, and transportation entities 160 interact withthe centralized crop transaction system 110 using one or more clientdevices. In an embodiment, growers 130 are any seller desirous ofselling current or future inventory of agricultural goods. For example,growers 130 are crop producers, e.g., farmers actively engaged in andresponsible for the production of agricultural crops or producers ofcrop products (such as olive oil). The terms “grower” and “cropproducer” are used herein synonymously. In an embodiment, buyers 140 areany prospective acquiring entity seeking to purchase an agriculturalgood. For example, buyers 140 are manufacturers of processed food orfiber products, such as bakery goods, snacks, beverages, cooking oils,clothing, industrial polymers, bioplastics, or biofuels. The terms“buyer” and “prospective acquiring entity” or “acquiring entity” areused herein synonymously. In an embodiment, transportation entities 160are crop transportation entities. For example, transportation entities160 are carriers, freight forwarders, freight brokers, truckers,trucking corporations, shipping corporations, and the like.

A client device is a computing device that can transmit and/or receivedata via the network 115. A grower 130 or buyer 140 may use the clientdevice to perform functions such as submitting or requesting cropproduct listings via the centralized crop transaction system 110,viewing crop product listings via the centralized crop transactionsystem, interacting with other growers or buyers, and the like. Atransportation entity 160 may use the client device to perform functionssuch as viewing available crop transportation opportunities, accessingmap, weather, or traffic data for a geographic area associated with acrop transportation, interacting with growers or buyers, and the like.For example, the client device may be a smartphone or tablet, notebook,or desktop computer, navigation device, or electronic logging device(ELD). In addition, the client device may be an Internet-of-Things (IOT)connected device such as a vehicle or home appliance. The client devicemay include a display device on which the user may view digital content,such as crop product listings on the centralized crop transaction system110.

It should be noted that reference made herein to the modification of adisplayed interface (e.g., to display crop product listings) may includeembodiments wherein the steps described in conjunction with themodification of the displayed interface are performed internally by thecentralized crop transaction system 110 or the crop transportationsystem 150 and does not include the display or modification of aninterface associated with the transactions.

The client device may execute one or more applications (“apps”) thatextend the functionality of the client device. For example, the apps mayinclude a web browser that allows the client device to interact withwebsites provided by servers connected to the network 115. The apps mayalso include one or more dedicated apps for accessing the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 or the crop transportation system 150. Inone embodiment, the user downloads and installs apps on the clientdevice for specific purposes, such as executing crop transactions viathe centralized crop transaction system 110. Alternatively, thefunctionality of an app may be incorporated into an operating system ofthe client device or included in other native functionality of theclient device.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 and the crop transportationsystem 150 access one or more external data sources 120 via the network115. External data sources 120 can store data describing current orhistoric information impacting crop product transactions, crop producttransportation, crop product growth, crop product price predictions, andthe like. For example, data accessed by the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 via the external data sources 120 may include satelliteimagery, weather data, historic crop prices or crop price trends,current crop prices or crop price trends, historic crop transactions,current predictions for future crop output, and the like. In anotherexample, data accessed by the crop transportation system 150 via theexternal data sources 120 may include traffic data, weather data, mapdata, historic impact of weather or other conditions on croptransportation, soil composition data, regional land use data,transportation resource availability data, data relating to storagecapacity and utilization for crop products, data relating to locationand activity of processing facilities for crop products, data relatingto utilization of inputs to agronomic production (e.g. fertilizer,insecticide, seed usage, irrigation, etc.), and the like. Example datasources 120 can include but are not limited to: weather databases, cropproduct or commodity price databases, satellite imagery databases, mapdatabases, and the like.

The network 115 comprises any combination of local area and/or wide areanetworks, using both wired and/or wireless communication systems. In oneembodiment, the network 115 uses standard communication links usingtechnologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperability formicrowave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, code division multiple access (CDMA),digital subscriber line (DSL), etc. Examples of networking protocolsused for communicating via the network 115 include multiprotocol labelswitching (MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol(TCP/IP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transferprotocol (SMTP), and file transfer protocol (FTP). Data exchanged overthe network 115 may be represented using any suitable format, such ashypertext markup language (HTML) or extensible markup language (XML). Insome embodiments, all or some of the communication links of the network115 may be encrypted using any suitable technique or techniques.

Centralized Crop Transaction System

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an architecture of the centralized croptransaction system 110. The centralized crop transaction system 110shown in FIG. 2 includes a user store 205, a historic data store 210, anenvironmental data store 215, a crop listing store 220, a crop requestmodule 225, a crop transaction module 230, a price analysis module 235,a transaction optimization module 240, and a transaction interfacemodule 245. In other embodiments, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 may include additional, fewer, or different components forvarious applications.

The user store 205 stores and maintains data describing users of thecentralized crop transaction system 110. In an embodiment, the userstore 205 stores and maintains information provided by users of thecentralized crop transaction system 110 for marketplace profilesdescribing an identity and information relevant to selling or purchasingcrop products via the system. For example, the marketplace profileincludes a user name; a user business name; a user business or farmmanager name; locations and capacities, and types of one or more cropproduct storage facilities owned, rented, or accessed by the user;locations and capacities of one or more production facilities (e.g.,processing plants, refineries, fields, greenhouses, vertical farms,etc.) owned, rented, or accessed by the user; the volume and type ofgoods currently in storage or production; currently open bids or demandopportunities; locations and capacities, and types of transportationequipment and facilities owned, rented, or accessed by the user; and thelike. In other examples, the marketplace profile includes other oradditional information associated with corresponding users of thecentralized crop transaction system 110, such as a verifiedidentification (e.g., driver's license information), verified financialinformation (e.g., credit score or bank routing numbers), an ability totransport crops (e.g., possession of a commercial driver's license orinsurance), and the like.

In some embodiments, some or all of the marketplace profile informationstored by the user store 205 is displayed to users of the centralizedcrop transaction system 110. In other embodiments, some or all of themarketplace profile information stored by the user store 205 is private,such that users are able to access their corresponding marketplaceprofile but cannot access marketplace profiles of other users. In otherembodiments, some or all of the marketplace profile information isobscured or otherwise anonymized.

In an embodiment, the user store 205 associates each user of thecentralized crop transaction system 110 with a role identifying actionsthat may be performed by the user. For example, a user associated with agrower role may enter one or more inventories of crop product for saleon the centralized crop transaction system 110. A user associated with abuyer role may enter one or more demand opportunities requesting topurchase crop product on the centralized crop transaction system 110. Insuch embodiments, users are associated with one or more roles, forinstance based on roles identified by the users, based on roles inferredfrom historical interactions of the users within the centralized croptransaction system 110, and the like.

The historic data store 210 stores and maintains data describinghistoric crop transactions. The historic data store 210 receivesinformation representative of transactions executed on the centralizedcrop transaction system 110, such as information describing conditionsof the transactions, entities associated with the transactions, and thelike. For an example transaction, the historic data store 210 canreceive information associated with executed contracts associated withthe transaction, information identifying the entities performing thetransaction, a type of crop product associated with the transaction, aquantity of crop product associated with the transaction, one or morequality metrics associated with the crop product, a price for the cropproduct, a current market price for the crop product at the time of thetransaction, an origin location of the crop product, a destinationlocation of the crop product, environmental information for a geographicarea associated with the crop product at the time of the transaction,and other information describing factors impacting the crop producttransaction.

In an embodiment, the historic data store 210 additionally stores dataaccessed from one or more external data sources 120 describingconditions or factors associated with crop product transactions. In someembodiments, the historic data store 210 additionally stores dataaccessed from external data sources 120 describing historic conditionsor factors impacting crop product growth or production. For example, thehistoric data store 210 stores information including historic weatherconditions, historic crop growth and crop outputs, historic productionsof various crop product types, historic geographic areas (e.g., plots ofland, farms, etc.) farmed or used for crop production, historic cropproduct quality, historic methods or applications for crop productproduction, historic crop product transactions performed on one or moresystems other than the centralized crop transaction system 110, and thelike.

The environmental data store 215 stores and maintains data describingcurrent environmental conditions associated with crop transactions. Inone embodiment, the environmental data store 215 stores data accessedfrom one or more external data sources 120 describing currentenvironmental conditions or factors impacting crop transactions, cropgrowth, and/or crop transportation. For example, the environmental datastore 210 stores information describing current weather conditions,current crop growth, current measured or predicted crop health, currentcrop product types being grown or stored, current crop productproduction predictions, current methods or applications for crop productproduction, current soil characteristics, current pending or executedcrop product listings, current measured or predicted quality metrics ofa crop product, and transactions performed on one or more systemsincluding the centralized crop transaction system 110.

The crop listing store 220 stores and maintains crop product listingssubmitted to the centralized crop transaction system 110. Crop productlistings are requests by users of the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 to sell or purchase agricultural goods. The crop listingstore 220 stores crop product listings in association with informationidentifying the submitting entity and describing the crop product beingrequested for purchase or sale. For example, the crop listing store 220stores crop product listings in association with a user identifier orname, a location of the user, credentials (e.g., ratings, pasttransactions, reviews, etc.) associated with the user, and the like.

In another example, the crop listing store 220 stores crop productlistings in association with a crop product type, a crop productquantity, one or more quality metrics for the crop product, a cropproduct price, a crop product origin or destination location, type ofstorage or storage condition of a crop product, and the like. Forexample, a first location or origin location may be one or more of: aproduction location of the crop product, a storage location of the cropproduct, and a current or future location of a crop product in transit.The crop product may be further identified as being a crop that has notbeen harvested, a crop that has been harvested but not processed, or acrop that has been harvested and processed into a different cropproduct. A production location of a crop product may be a location forproduction of a processed or unprocessed crop. For example, a productionlocation of a processed crop product may be an ethanol productionfacility, oilseed crushing plant, a flour mill, or the like. Forexample, a production location of a harvested or unharvested andunprocessed crop product may be a field or field boundary, a greenhouse,vertical farm, or the like. A quantity of a crop product may beidentified based on weight units, volume units, units fortransportation, and other units. For example, a quantity of a cropproduct is identified in pounds, hundred weight (cwt), kilograms, tons,metric tons, bushels, acre, hectare, truckloads, train car loads, bargeloads, and other standard units for measurement.

In some embodiments, information describing crop products stored in thecrop listing store 220 is determined using remote sensing data inconjunction with information provided by a user via a request to thecentralized crop transaction system 110. For example, a crop produceridentifies a first location of a crop product. The crop listing store220 stores environmental data (current or historic) for the firstlocation of the crop product in association with the crop productlisting. As described previously in conjunction with the environmentaldata store 215, the stored data may include current or historic weatherdata; one or more soil characteristics (including soil temperature);current or historic reflected or emitted electromagnetic radiationmeasurements of land, water, and atmospheric properties of a location ofa crop product; crop phenology and crop type; crop production andconservation practices; and the like. Additionally, remote sensingtechniques may be used to infer information describing the crop productbut that is not provided by users. For example, analysis operations maybe performed on satellite data of the provided first location toidentify a type of the crop product grown at the first location, aquantity of the crop product, one or more quality metrics of the cropproduct, one or more quality specifications of the crop product, cropphenology, crop production and conversation practices (for example,irrigation, high or low intensity tillage, cover crops, etc.), timing ofapplication of agricultural inputs, timing of harvest, and the like.

The crop request module 225 receives requests from users to performactions on the centralized crop transaction system. Users may request toaccess current or past crop listings on the centralized crop transactionsystem 110, view profiles or information associated with users, viewcurrent predictions or trends associated with crop products or croptransactions, submit crop product listings on the centralized croptransaction system 110, execute contracts for crop product transactions,exchange communications with users on the centralized crop transactionsystem 110, and the like. In an embodiment, the crop request module 225determines whether a user is able to perform an action on thecentralized crop transaction system 110 based on a user role associatedwith the user in the user store 205. For example, users associated witha grower role are able to post crop products for sale on the centralizedcrop transaction system 110, but may be unable to execute contracts topurchase crop product listings. In another example, users associatedwith a buyer role are able to execute contracts to purchase crop productlistings and to post desired crop product listings for purchase, but areunable to post crop products for sale. Crop product listings posted bybuyers for the purchase of crop products are synonymously referred toherein as demand opportunities, requests, and bids. In anotherembodiment, the crop request module 225 determines whether a user isable to perform an action on the centralized crop transaction system 110based information in the users marketplace profile in the user store205. In another example, users are able to execute contracts to sell orpurchase crop products only if the user's marketplace profile includesverified financial information.

The crop transaction module 230 executes contracts between thecentralized crop transaction system 110 and users of the system. Usersare not committed to the submitted crop product listing opportunitiesuntil the contract is executed by the centralized crop transactionsystem 110. The crop transaction module 230 receives, from the priceanalysis module 235, a notification when one or more conditions are metby crop product listings on the centralized crop transaction system 110.Responsive to the notification, the crop transaction module 230 canexecute a contract with a user associated with the crop product listingthat satisfies the one or more conditions. In some embodiments, thetransaction interface module 245 receives, from the price analysismodule 235, a notification when one or more conditions are not met bycrop product listings on the centralized crop transaction system 110.Upon receiving such a notification the transaction interface module 245generates interfaces for users of the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 to interact with and edit their request, for example toupdate a crop product price as in FIGS. 7A-D. In further embodiments,the crop transaction module 230 receives a notification responsive to auser of the centralized crop transaction system 110 modifying acorresponding crop product listing such that one or more conditionspreviously not met by the crop product listing are now met. In response,the crop transaction module 230 can automatically execute a contractwith the user associated with the crop product listing that satisfiesthe conditions.

The price analysis module 235 accesses historic and current data fromthe historic data store 210 and the environmental data store 215 andanalyzes prices for crop transactions for the centralized croptransaction system 110. In the disclosed embodiments, prices for croptransactions are one of: a price of the crop product at the location ofthe crop producer, a price of the crop product at the location of thebuyer, a price of the crop product at another location, a futuresreference price, a cash price, or a basis price. For example, a price ofthe crop product at the location of the crop producer is a price for thecrop product requested by the crop producer representative of a value ofthe crop. In another example, a price of the crop product at thelocation of the buyer is a combination of a corresponding price of thecrop product at the location of the crop producer and a transportationcost associated with moving the crop product to the location of thebuyer. In another example, a price of the crop product at anotherlocation is a combination of price of the crop requested by the cropproducer, a transportation cost, and a storage fee for storing the cropproduct at the location. The price of the crop product in any of theprior examples may also reflect differences in the value of the cropbetween each location. Geographic differences in value of a crop can beattributable to location specific differences in market conditions.Location specific market conditions may be inferred based on remotesensing data for a location and surrounding regions. Factors affectinglocal demand for a crop product include the number, types and estimatedconsumption of consumers of a crop product in a region. In someembodiments, local demand may be inferred from image analysis. Forexample, image analysis can be used to determine the number of feedlotswithin a region and the number of head of livestock at the facility.Additionally, a factor for demand for an unprocessed crop product may bethe number and capacities of production facilities for processed cropproducts, such as oilseed crushing facilities, fiber processing plants,flour mills, ethanol production facility, and the like. Another factoraffecting local market conditions is the supply of crop product within aregion. For example, image analysis can be used to determine the number,types and production capacity of production facilities for unprocessedcrop products, such as fields, greenhouses and vertical farms.Additionally, supply may be affected by the number, type, and capacityof storage facilities in a region for a processed or unprocessed cropproduct. The number, type, capacity, and utilization of storagefacilities in a region may be estimated using image analysis. Localmarket factors may also be affected by the type, capacity andutilization of transportation modes serving a region, which may also beestimated based on image analysis.

The price analysis module 235 monitors crop product listings on thecentralized crop transaction system 110 and one or more marketconditions to determine when to execute a contract for the sale orpurchase of a crop product listing. For example, the price analysismodule 235 determines that a crop product listing for sale is associatedwith a requested price that is at or below a current market price forthe corresponding crop product type. In another example, the priceanalysis module 235 determines that a crop product listing requested bya prospective buyer is associated with an offered price that is at orabove a current market price for the corresponding crop product type.Responsive to the determination, the price analysis module 235 transmitsa notification to the crop transaction module 230 to execute a contractfor the crop product listing.

In an embodiment, the price analysis module 235 uses a machine learningmodel to determine current market prices for one or more crop productslisted on the centralized crop transaction system 110. The machinelearning model receives input information describing a crop product,including the crop product type, crop product quantity, and one or morequality metrics for the crop product. In an embodiment, the machinelearning model additionally receives input information describing adistance between a first location for the crop product and a secondlocation for the crop product, a crop output prediction for a nextperiod of time (e.g., a season, a year), a price prediction for a nextperiod of time, a current market price for the crop product accessedfrom one or more external data sources 120, and the like. Based on theseinputs, the machine learning model outputs a current market price for acrop product listing for use by the price analysis module 235 indetermining if or when to execute a contract for the crop productlisting.

In some embodiments, the price analysis module 235 determines currentmarket prices for a crop product based on a basis component and afutures reference component. A futures reference component can bedetermined by one or more external entities (e.g., CME Group/ChicagoBoard of Trade) or based on an analysis of crop listings andcorresponding prices within the centralized crop transaction system 110.The futures reference component describes an intrinsic standard valuefor a crop product type. The futures reference component may includereference time period, for example as associated with a time of deliveryof the associated product.

A basis component can be determined for specific additional factorsassociated with a crop product. For example, the basis component isdetermined by the price analysis module 235 based on a predicted yieldfor the crop product across one or more growers 130, a predicted demandfor the crop product across one or more buyers 140, an expectedtransportation cost or equipment requirement, costs associated with theexchange of possession of a quantity of the crop product, expectedchanges in energy prices, expected changes in labor markets, weatherevents, expected changes in logistical availability (e.g., rail, riverbarge, ocean freight, etc.), and the like. In another example, the basiscomponent is determined by the price analysis module 235 based on one ormore quality metrics for a determined crop product.

As used herein, “quality” or a “quality metric” may refer to any aspectof an agricultural good that adds value. In some embodiments, quality isa physical or chemical attribute of the crop product. For example, aquality may include, for a crop product type, one or more of: a variety;a genetic trait or lack thereof; genetic modification of lack thereof;genomic edit or lack thereof; epigenetic signature or lack thereof;moisture content; protein content; carbohydrate content; ash content;fiber content; fiber quality; fat content; oil content; color;whiteness; weight; transparency; hardness; percent chalky grains;proportion of corneous endosperm; presence of foreign matter; number orpercentage of broken kernels; number or percentage of kernels withstress cracks; falling number; farinograph; adsorption of water; millingdegree; immature grains; kernel size distribution; average grain length;average grain breadth; kernel volume; density; LB ratio; wet gluten;sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation; toxin levels (for example,mycotoxin levels, including vomitoxin, fumonisin, ochratoxin, oraflatoxin levels); and damage levels (for example, mold, insect, heat,cold, frost, or other material damage).

In some embodiments, quality is an attribute of a production method orenvironment. For example, quality may include, for a crop product, oneor more of: soil type; soil chemistry; climate; weather; magnitude orfrequency of weather events; soil or air temperature; soil or airmoisture; degree days; rain fed; irrigated or not; type of irrigation;tillage frequency; cover crop (present or historical); fallow seasons(present or historical); crop rotation; organic; shade grown;greenhouse; level and types of fertilizer use; levels and type ofchemical use; levels and types of herbicide use; pesticide-free; levelsand types of pesticide use; no-till; use of organic manure andbyproducts; minority produced; fair-wage; geography of production (e.g.,country of origin, American Viticultural Area, mountain grown);pollution-free production; reduced pollution production; levels andtypes of greenhouse gas production; carbon neutral production; levelsand duration of soil carbon sequestration; and others. In someembodiments, quality is affected by, or may be inferred from, the timingof one or more production practices. For example, food grade quality forcrop products may be inferred from the variety of plant, damage levels,and one or more production practices used to grow the crop. In anotherexample, one or more qualities may be inferred from the maturity orgrowth stage of an agricultural product such as a plant or animal. Insome embodiments, a crop product is an agricultural product.

In some embodiments, quality is an attribute of a method of storing anagricultural good (e.g., the type of storage: bin, bag, pile, in-field,box, tank, or other containerization), the environmental conditions(e.g., temperature, light, moisture, relative humidity, presence ofpests, CO₂ levels) during storage of the crop product, method ofpreserving the crop product (e.g., freezing, drying, chemicallytreating), or a function of the length of time of storage. In someembodiments, quality may be calculated, derived, inferred, orsubjectively classified based on one or more measured or observedphysical or chemical attributes of a crop product, its production, orits storage method. In some embodiments, a quality metric is a gradingor certification by an organization or agency. For example, grading bythe USDA, organic certification, or non-GMO certification may beassociated with a crop product. In some embodiments, a quality metric isinferred from one or more measurements made of plants during growingseason. For example, wheat grain protein content may be inferred frommeasurement of crop canopies using hyperspectral sensors and/or NIR orvisible spectroscopy of whole wheat grains. In some embodiments, one ormore quality metrics are collected, measured, or observed duringharvest. For example, dry matter content of corn may be measured usingnear-infrared spectroscopy on a combine. In some embodiments, theobserved or measured value of a quality metric is compared to areference value for the metric. In some embodiments, a reference valuefor a metric (for example, a quality metric or a quantity metric) is anindustry standard or grade value for a quality metric of a particularagricultural good (for example, U.S. No. 3 Yellow Corn, Flint),optionally as measured in a particular tissue (for example, grain) andoptionally at a particular stage of development (for example, silking).In some embodiments, a reference value is determined based on asupplier's historical production record or the historical productionrecord of present and/or prior marketplace participants.

The transaction optimization module 240 accesses crop listings on thecentralized crop transaction system 110 and determines optimizationsbased on one or more factors for executed crop transactions. When one ormore contracts are executed for crop product listings on the centralizedcrop transaction system 110, the transaction optimization module 240monitors the executed contracts to determine if one or more conditionsare met for optimization. In one embodiment, the transactionoptimization module 240 determines that a crop product purchased by thecentralized crop transaction system 110 in a first executed contractmeets qualifications for a crop product request from a prospective buyeron the centralized crop transaction system 110 and matches the cropproduct to the prospective buyer. In another embodiment wherein one ormore crop products are matched to prospective buyers, the transactionoptimization module 240 identifies a change to be made to the cropproducts matched to the prospective buyers in order to optimize one ormore conditions for the crop products. For example, the transactionoptimization module 240 optimizes crop product transactions based atleast in part on quality metrics of crop products, distances betweenpick-up locations of crop products and destination locations of cropproducts, crop product transportation, environmental or transportationconditions at or between pick-up locations of crop products anddestination locations of crop products, dates associated with cropproduct pick-up and crop product drop-off, and the like. Transactionoptimization is described in greater detail below.

The transaction interface module 245 generates and modifies interfacesfor users of the centralized crop transaction system 110 and transmitsthe interfaces to client devices for presentation and display. Thetransaction interface module 245 generates interfaces for users of thecentralized crop transaction system 110 to interact with and submit cropproduct listings to the centralized crop transaction system, to interactwith other users of the centralized crop transaction system, and toperform other actions on the centralized crop transaction systemassociated with crop product transaction.

In some embodiments, the transaction interface module 245 modifiesinterfaces generated for users based on a role associated with acorresponding user, such that a grower 130 is provided with one or moredifferent interfaces than a buyer 140. For example, the transactioninterface module 245 generates, for prospective acquiring entities,interfaces displaying an expected distribution of prices or an expectedaverage price of a crop product. In another example, the transactioninterface module 245 generates, for prospective acquiring entities,interfaces displaying a distribution of geographic locations (e.g.,maps, lists, etc.) from which a crop product is expected to be acquired.In another example, the transaction interface module 245 generates, forprospective acquiring entities, interfaces displaying an expecteddistribution of crop product qualities for a crop product to beacquired. In another example, the transaction interface module 245generates, for prospective acquiring entities, interfaces displaying anexpected distribution of crop product quantities of given crop productqualities required to meet a crop product quality requirement for aquantity of crop product to be acquired.

Interaction Management in an Online Agricultural System

A centralized crop transaction system 110 manages interactions by usersin an online agricultural system by executing transactions for cropproducts associated with crop product listings. The centralized croptransaction system 110 allows users of the online agricultural system tosubmit crop products for sale or to submit requests to purchase cropproducts as crop product listings. The crop product listings includeinformation identifying the crop product for sale or desired forpurchase and the user associated with the crop product listing. Forexample, a crop product listing identifies a crop product type, a cropproduct quantity, one or more quality metrics for the crop product, aprice associated with the crop product, and other informationidentifying the crop product. The crop product listing may additionallyidentify a user name or identifier, a pick-up location of the cropproduct, a destination location of the crop product, and otherinformation associated with the user or the listing of the crop productlisting.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 monitors market prices forcrop products to determine whether to execute a contract for a cropproduct transaction. As described above in conjunction with FIG. 2, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 accesses historic and currentdata impacting prices for crop transactions and determines, for a givencrop listing, whether to execute a contract for the sale or purchase ofthe associated crop product. In one embodiment, a contract is executedresponsive to a requested purchase price for a crop product listingbeing at or below a threshold value determined by the centralized croptransaction system 110. For example, a contract is executed responsiveto a requested purchase price for a crop product listing below a currentor predicted market value for the associated crop product. In oneembodiment, a contract is executed responsive to a requested sale pricefor a crop product listing being at or above a threshold valuedetermined by the centralized crop transaction system 110. For example,a contract is executed responsive to a requested sale price for a cropproduct listing above a current or predicted market value for theassociated crop product.

In another embodiment, a contract is executed responsive to thecentralized crop transaction system 110 determining that a first cropproduct listing for the sale of a crop product satisfies therequirements of a second crop product listing for the purchase of a cropproduct. In such an embodiment, the first crop product listing and thesecond crop product listing identify compatible crop product types, cropproduct quantities, crop product quality metrics and requirements, andcrop product prices. For example, the first crop product listingidentifies a crop product type matching the requested crop product forthe second crop product listing, a crop product quantity less than orequal to the requested crop product for the second crop product listing,a price less than or equal to the price of the second crop productlisting, and a quality greater than or equal to the requested cropproduct quality requirement for the second crop product listing.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110continuously monitors costs associated with the transfer of possession(e.g., in real-time) of a crop product from crop producers toprospective acquiring entities, and executes contracts with the cropproducers and prospective acquiring entities in response to themonitored costs. For example, if a crop producer lists a crop productfor sale and requests a first price, and a prospective acquiring entitylists a request to acquire the crop product and requests a second price,the centralized crop transaction system 110 executes contracts with thecrop producer and the prospective acquiring entity in response to thesum of the first price and the monitored transfer of possession costbetween the crop producer and the prospective acquiring entity becomesequal to or less than the second price.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110executes, in real-time, one or more contracts to sell or purchase cropproducts identified in one or more crop product listings. Multiplecontracts may be executed in order to fulfill a request by a cropproducer or a prospective acquiring entity. For example, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 executes a plurality of contracts with oneor more crop producers in order to fulfill a crop product requestsubmitted by a prospective acquiring entity, such that each executedcontract requires the transfer of possession of a quantity of cropproduct to the prospective acquiring entity, the aggregate sum of thequantities of the crop products associated with all executed contractsbeing less than or equal to a quantity requested by the prospectiveacquiring entity. In another example, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 executes a plurality of contracts with one or moreprospective acquiring entities in order to fulfill a crop productlisting submitted by a crop producer, such that each executed contractrequires the transfer possession of a quantity of available crop productfrom the crop producer to each prospective acquiring entity, theaggregate sum of the quantities of the crop products requested by theprospective acquiring entities being less than or equal to a quantityoffered for sale by the crop producer.

Additionally, multiple contracts may be executed in order to fulfill aquality request by a prospective acquiring entity. For example, aprospective acquiring entity submits a request to acquire a crop productwith a quality requirement (e.g., a grade or combination of cropproducts). In a case wherein a first crop product listed by a first cropproducer and a second crop product listed by a second crop producerindividually do not satisfy the quality requirement, or do not satisfythe quality requirement and one or more other requirements, but acombination of a quantity of the first crop product and a quantity ofthe second crop product does satisfy the quality requirement and allother requirements, the centralized crop transaction system 110 executescontracts requiring the transfer possession of the quantities of therespective crop products to, in combination, fulfill the crop productrequest of the prospective acquiring entity. For example, a prospectiveacquiring entity submits a request to purchase 10,000 bushels of hardred winter wheat having 11% protein. A first producer submits a listingto sell their inventory of 5,000 bushels of 13% protein hard red winterwheat and a second producer submits a listing to sell their inventory of15,000 bushels of 9% protein hard red winter wheat. The centralized croptransaction system 110 executes a first contract to purchase 5,000bushels of 13% protein wheat from the first crop producer and a secondcontract to purchase 5,000 bushels of 9% protein wheat from the secondcrop producer, such that the combination of the wheat purchased from thefirst and second producers satisfies the prospective acquiring entity'squality requirement. In another example, a prospective acquiring entitysubmits a request to purchase, wherein the crop product type is alow-gluten grain mix including a percentage of sorghum and a percentageof rye. The centralized crop transaction system 110 executes a firstcontract to purchase sorghum from a first crop producer and a secondcontract to purchase rye from a second crop producer, such that thecombination of the purchased sorghum and the purchased rye satisfy therequested grain mix.

In further embodiments, a request 510 to acquire a crop product includesa crop product price which is a price ladder. Price ladders describe aset of rules which describe conditions under which a price may increaseor decrease (e.g., relating incremental change in one or more conditionsto a corresponding incremental change in the price to be paid). Forexample, the centralized crop transaction system 110 executes contractsincluding price ladders wherein the price ladder is a quality basedprice ladder, identifying an incremental change in one or more qualitymetrics of a quality requirement and a corresponding incremental changein the crop product price. The centralized crop transaction system 110executes a contract responsive to identifying a request with a set ofquality metrics that better or best satisfies a requested set ofrequired quality metrics for the crop product, wherein a set of qualitymetrics better satisfies a requested set of required quality metrics,for example, minimizes a difference between the sets of quality metricsor maximizes a price according to a quality based price ladder.

In some embodiments, one or more quality metrics of crop products aremeasured at delivery. The measured quality metrics may be used todetermine compliance with one or more contract provisions, to informfuture transportation or storage method decisions, to rate the supplieror transportation entity's trustworthiness or reputation, to determinethe amount of payment which is due relative to one or more contracts,and the like. In some embodiments, the quality metrics of the cropproduct at delivery may be compared to one or more quality metrics basedon prior sampling of the goods or an inventory comprising a component ofthe goods. In some embodiments, the quality metrics of the crop productas measured at delivery determines an amount to be paid for thedelivery.

In some embodiments, a trustworthiness score is assigned to a grower, aprospective acquiring entity, or transportation entity automaticallybased on one or more factors including discrepancies between reportedmetrics (including, quality metrics of a crop product, quantity of acrop product, delivery time and place, or combinations thereof) andmeasured values thereof and or failure to make a payment in the correctamount, to the correct party, and or within the time specified. In someembodiments, a trustworthiness score is assigned based on a ratingassigned by or feedback provided by a marketplace participant. In someembodiments, marketplace participants may specify the minimumtrustworthiness score of parties which whom they are willing totransact.

In some embodiments, the payment due to one or more suppliers iscalculated based on a different price per unit of goods delivered. Insome embodiments, different unit prices are based on differing prices inbids presented to different crop producers. In some embodiments,different unit prices are based on differing values of one or morequality metrics of crop products delivered by one or more suppliers. Insome embodiments, the payment due to one or more crop producers relativeto a single demand opportunity is based on an averaged value of one ormore quality metrics of more than one delivery. In some embodiments,payment due to one or more crop producers is calculated based on thesame price per unit of good delivered without regard to variation inquality of goods supplied by each supplier (e.g., based on averagedvalues of one or more quality metrics, where payment is based on aminimum value of one or more quality metrics). One or more deliveriesmay be made by one or more crop producers or transportation entities.One or more deliveries may represent all of the deliveries made tofulfill a single demand opportunity or a portion thereof.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110additionally arranges for a transfer of possession of the crop productfrom a crop producer to a prospective acquiring entity. The centralizedcrop transaction system 110 executes a contract including an arrangementfor the transfer of possession of the crop product between a cropproducer and a prospective acquiring entity. Arrangement for thetransfer of possession of the crop product may include automaticallysending transportation instructions to a transportation entity orconfirming that one of the crop producer and the prospective acquiringentity is responsible for the transfer of possession of the cropproduct. When the centralized crop transaction system 110 automaticallysends transportation instructions to a transportation entity, thetransportation instructions include a first location of the crop product(the “pick-up location), a second location for delivery of the cropproduct (the “destination location”), and a delivery window. Thetransportation entity may be a crop producer, a prospective acquiringentity, or a third-party transportation entity designated by thecentralized crop transaction system 110 (e.g., a transportation entity160). In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110arranges for a transfer of beneficial interest in a crop product withouta physical transfer of a crop producer to a prospective acquiringentity. Where transfer of a beneficial interest in a crop product is notassociated with a physical transfer in the crop product, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 may issue an electronic warehouse receipt.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110monitors or executes contracts requiring the monitoring of one or morequality metrics of crop products after the execution of contracts. Forexample, in cases where a prospective acquiring party requests athreshold crop product quality that may degrade over time or due toadverse environmental, storage, or transportation conditions, or wherean executed contract includes a quality-based price ladder, or wherephysical possession of the crop product is not transferred, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 continuously receives datadescribing the one or more quality metrics of the crop products. Changesin one or more qualities of crop products may change an optimalallocation of the crop product. Accordingly, the centralized croptransaction system 110 may modify one or more executed contracts basedon changes in the monitored crop products to ensure that allocation ofthe crop products better satisfies quality requirements of prospectiveacquiring entities.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate example interfaces for performing transactions bythe centralized crop transaction system, according to variousembodiments. FIG. 3A illustrates a first crop product listingidentifying a crop product for sale for which a transaction is not made.The crop product listing includes information 305 describing the cropproduct, including a crop product type (“Wheat”), a crop product amount(“500 bushels”), and a requested price for the crop product(“$4.50/bushel”). In other examples or interfaces, the crop productlisting includes additional or other information describing the cropproduct, such as a grower or crop producer identifier or username, apick-up location of the crop product, and one or more quality metrics ofthe crop product.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 determines a current orpredicted future market value for the crop product. The market price320A is determined as a sum of a basis price 310A and a futuresreference price 315. As described in conjunction with FIG. 2, the basisprice 310 is determined for specific factors associated with the cropproduct 305, while the futures reference price 315 is determined by oneor more external entities and describes an intrinsic standard value fora crop product. In the example of FIG. 3A, the basis price 310A is setat $3.00/bushel and the futures reference price 315 is set at$1.33/bushel to generate a market price 320A for the crop product of$4.33/bushel. Because the market price 320A determined by thecentralized crop transaction system 110 is less than the requested priceof $4.50/bushel of the crop product listing, the centralized croptransaction system does not make a transaction 325 (e.g., does notexecute a contract for the crop product listing).

FIG. 3B illustrates the first crop product listing for a crop productfor which a transaction is made. In the example of FIG. 3B, the cropproduct identifies a requested price of $4.50/bushel. A basis price 310Bfor the crop product is $3.33/bushel (e.g., a $0.33 increase compared tothe example of FIG. 3A) and a futures reference price 315 for the cropproduct is $1.66/bushel, such that the market price 320B is$4.66/bushel. In one embodiment, the basis price 310 may change overtime based on one or more factors impacting a market or demand for thecrop product. For example, the basis price 310 may change due to anincrease or decrease in predicted or current demand for a crop product,an increase or decrease in predicted or current yield of a crop product,an increase or decrease in predicted or current energy costs, anincrease or decrease in predicted or current logistics costs oravailability, an increase or decrease in predicted or current laboravailability, an increase or decrease in predicted or current processorfacility availability, unexpected hazards to the movement or storage ofa crop product, actual and perceived credit rating of an entityassociated with the transaction, condition of the crop product, and thelike. Because the market price 320B determined by the centralized croptransaction system 110 is greater than the requested price of$4.50/bushel of the crop product listing, the centralized croptransaction system makes a transaction 350 for the crop product (e.g.,executes a contract to purchase the crop product of the crop productlisting).

In other embodiments, other factors may impact whether the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 makes the transaction for the crop product.For example, the centralized crop transaction system 110 identifies asecond crop product listing from a prospective acquiring entityrequesting the purchase of a crop product corresponding to the cropproduct listing and arranges for a transfer of possession of the cropproduct to the prospective acquiring entity.

In other embodiments, a request to list a crop includes a crop productprice consisting of a requested futures reference price for deliverywithin a drop-off window and a basis price to be determined aftercontracting. For example, a drop-off window is a month within aspecified year. A futures reference price is monitored by a centralizedcrop transaction system 110 and where the current futures referenceprice is greater than the requested futures reference price, thecentralized crop transaction system makes a transaction 350 for the cropproduct (e.g., executes a contract to purchase the crop product of thecrop product listing) at the futures reference price. In someembodiments, the executed contract provides that a crop producerassociated with the first crop listing may set a basis price at a timeof their choice before delivery. In a further embodiment, the executedcontract provides that a crop producer associated with the first croplisting may change the drop-off window to a future time within thespecified year. If the crop producer chooses to change the drop-offwindow, the futures reference price of the contract is adjusted up ordown based on the difference between the contracted futures referenceprice and the futures reference price for the new drop-off window.

In response to the execution and to a crop producer setting a basisprice, the centralized crop transaction system 110 identifies a secondcrop product listing from a prospective acquiring entity requesting thepurchase of a crop product corresponding to the crop product listing andarranges for a transfer of possession of the crop product to theprospective acquiring entity.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate an example optimization for crop transactions bythe centralized crop transaction system, according to variousembodiments. FIG. 4A illustrates first and second crop producers 410contracting with the online agricultural system for selling a cropproduct 415 and first and second prospective acquiring entities 420contracting with the online agricultural system for purchasing a cropproduct, wherein the first and second prospective acquiring entities aredesirous of purchasing crop products corresponding to the crop products415 of the crop producers 410. In other words, in some embodiments, theonline agricultural system is counter-party to all contracts executedwithin the online agricultural system, beneficially enabling the onlineagricultural system to identify and match prospective sellers and buyersacross a variety of crop product characteristics, pick-up/deliverylocations, price ranges, and other factors, saving the prospectivesellers and buyers time and resources that otherwise might be spenttrying to manually identify a suitable counterparty. Having the onlineagricultural system acts as counterparty to all contracts reduces thecosts of transactions between unknown parties by providing a trustedparty who independently verifies product quality, coordinates paymentsand communicates the trustworthiness of one or more market participants.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, the first crop producer 410A hasentered a contract via the centralized crop transaction system 110 totransfer possession of a first crop product 415A to a second prospectiveacquiring entity 420B. The second crop producer 410B has entered acontract via the centralized crop transaction system 110 to transferpossession of a second crop product 415B to a first prospectiveacquiring entity 420A. In the example of FIG. 4A, the first crop product415A satisfies all conditions of the request from the second prospectiveacquiring entity 420B to purchase a crop product, and the second cropproduct 415B satisfies all conditions of the request from the firstprospective acquiring entity 420A to purchase a crop product.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 identifies that a firstdistance between the first crop producer 410A and the second prospectiveacquiring entity 420B is greater than a second distance between thefirst crop producer 410A and the first prospective acquiring entity410B. Similarly, the centralized crop transaction system 110 identifiesthat a third distance between the second crop producer 410B and thefirst prospective acquiring entity 410A is greater than a fourthdistance between the second crop producer 410B and the secondprospective acquiring entity 420B. Based on the respective distances,the centralized crop transaction system 110 determines whether tooptimize the one or more crop product transactions between the first andsecond crop producers 410 and the first and second prospective acquiringentities 420.

In other embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110 maydetermine optimizations for one or more crop product transactions basedon other factors. For example, the centralized crop transaction system110 determines whether to optimize crop product transactions based oncosts of transporting crop products, quality metrics for one or morecrop products, changes in market conditions, or other agriculturalcriteria or terms. In other embodiments, the centralized croptransaction system 110 may determine optimizations for one or more cropproduct transactions associated with different types of crop products(e.g., in the case that one or more crop products are substitutable, forinstance different types of grain, types of meal, types of oil,processed or unprocessed crop products, etc.).

FIG. 4B illustrates optimized crop product transactions for first andsecond crop producers 410 selling crop products 415 via the onlineagricultural system and first and second prospective acquiring entities415 requesting crop products via the online agricultural system.Responsive to the centralized crop transaction system 110 determiningthat the first crop product 415A satisfies all terms requested by thefirst prospective acquiring entity 415A and that the second crop product415B satisfies all terms requested by the second prospective acquiringentity 415B, the centralized crop transaction system alters contractsassociated with the first and second crop producers 410 and the firstand second prospective acquiring entities 415. The altered contractsrequire the first crop producer 410A to transfer possession of the firstcrop product 415A to the first prospective acquiring entity 420A and thesecond crop producer 410B to transfer possession of the second cropproduct 415B to the second prospective acquiring entity 420B.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110modifies the contracts automatically or without explicit input from thecrop producers 410 or the prospective acquiring entities 415. In otherembodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110 notifies one ormore parties to the transactions (e.g., one or more of the cropproducers 410 and the prospective acquiring entities 415) prior tomodifying the contracts, while in other embodiments, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 modifies the contracts without notifying anyparty to the transactions, without notifying the prospective acquiringentities 415, or without notifying the crop producers 410. In someembodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110 automaticallyor without explicit input from the crop producers 410 or the prospectiveacquiring entities 415 reassigns the destination location of the firstcrop product and second crop product (for example, without modifying thecontracts).

FIG. 5 illustrates example interactions between a grower, a buyer, and acentralized crop transaction system in executing transactions, accordingto various embodiments. A grower 130 transmits to a centralized croptransaction system 110 a first request 505 to list a crop product. Thefirst request identifies a crop product type, a first quantity of thecrop product, and a first location of the crop product. A prospectivebuyer 140 transmits to the centralized crop transaction system 110 asecond request 510 to acquire a crop product. The second requestidentifies the crop product type, a second quantity of the crop productgreater than or equal to the first quantity, a second price of the cropproduct, and a second location to which the crop product is to bedelivered.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 monitors 515, by a sever inreal-time, a third price. The third price is the cost associated withtransferring possession of the first quantity of the crop product fromthe grower 130 to the prospective buyer 140. In an embodiment, the thirdprice is based at least in part on the first location and the secondlocation. In response to a condition being met by the monitored price,the centralized crop transaction system 110 automatically executes 520 afirst contract between the centralized crop transaction system and thegrower 130 to purchase the crop product from the grower andautomatically executes 525 a second contract between the centralizedcrop transaction system and the prospective buyer 140 to sell the cropproduct to the buyer. For example, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 automatically executes the contracts responsive to a sum ofthe first price and the monitored third price being equal to or lessthan the second price.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process for modifying contracts for croptransactions based on agricultural criteria, according to variousembodiments. In an embodiment, the steps of FIG. 6 are performed by thecentralized crop transaction system 110. In other embodiments, the stepsmay be performed by other entities. In various embodiments, the methodmay include different and/or additional steps, and the steps may beperformed in different orders than those described in conjunction withFIG. 6.

A centralized crop transaction system 110 automatically executes 605contracts for a first crop producer and a first prospective acquiringentity. A first contract is executed between the centralized croptransaction system 110 and the first crop producer to purchase a firstcrop product from the first crop producer. A second contract is executedbetween the centralized crop transaction system 110 and the firstprospective acquiring entity to sell the first crop product to the firstprospective acquiring entity. In one embodiment, the centralized croptransaction system 110 executes the contracts responsive to a monitoredprice condition being met, as described above.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 automatically executes 610contracts for a second crop producer and a second prospective acquiringentity. A third contract is executed between the centralized croptransaction system 110 and the second crop producer to purchase a secondcrop product from the second crop producer. A fourth contract isexecuted between the centralized crop transaction system 110 and thesecond prospective acquiring entity to sell the second crop product tothe second prospective acquiring entity.

At a later time, the centralized crop transaction system 110 determines615 that the first, second, third, and fourth contracts satisfy anagricultural criteria associated with optimizing transactions. Forexample, the agricultural criteria is a predicted lifespan for the firstor second crop product, an optimization of crop transportation distancesfor the executed contracts for the first and second crop products, anagreement or request by the first and second crop producers forreassignment of delivery, an optimization of logistical savings greaterthan a net loss associated with the reassignment, or another criteria.The centralized crop transaction system 110 determines 620 that thesecond crop product satisfies one or more terms of the second contract.The centralized crop transaction system 110 further determines 625 thatthe first crop product satisfies one or more terms of the fourthcontract.

Responsive to the determinations, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 modifies 630 the second contract such that the secondcontract is between the centralized crop transaction system and thesecond prospective acquiring entity to sell the crop product of thefirst request to the second prospective acquiring entity. Thecentralized crop transaction system 110 modifies 635 the fourth contractsuch that the fourth contract is between the centralized croptransaction system and the first prospective acquiring entity to sellthe crop product of the third request to the first prospective acquiringentity.

In other embodiments, the second and fourth contracts between thecentralized crop transaction system 110 and the first and secondprospective crop acquirers are not modified, and the first and secondprospective crop acquirers may or may not be notified of themodifications.

In some embodiments, the first and third contracts between thecentralized crop transaction system 110 and the first and second cropproducers are additionally modified. For example, the first contractbetween the centralized crop transaction system 110 and the first cropproducer is modified to arrange transportation of the crop product ofthe first request to a location associated with the second prospectiveacquiring entity. The third contract between the centralized croptransaction system 110 and the second crop producer is modified toarrange transportation of the crop product of the third request to alocation associated with the first prospective acquiring entity. Inother embodiments, the first and third contracts between the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 and the first and second crop producers arenot modified, and the first and second crop producers may or may not benotified of the modifications. In some embodiments, the centralized croptransaction system 110 automatically or without explicit input from thecrop producers 410 or the prospective acquiring entities 415 reassignsthe destination location of the first crop product and third cropproduct (for example, without modifying the contracts).

Agricultural Modeling

A centralized crop transaction system 110 predicts future cropcharacteristics for an online agricultural system using various types ofdata, for example satellite data. In some embodiments, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 uses current and historic data, includingsatellite data, as an input to a price model configured to predictfuture prices for a type of crop product. For example, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 trains a price model using current andhistoric data from one or more external sources 120. The trained pricemodel can then be used to predict a future price for a type of cropproduct. The centralized crop transaction system 110 may use additionalmodels to determine different future crop characteristics. Thecentralized crop transaction system 110 uses predicted future cropcharacteristics to determine predictions of future yields for cropproducts, determine predictions of future demand for crop products,identify trends in crop product prices, determine whether to executecontracts for crop product transactions, and the like.

As described in conjunction with FIG. 2, the centralized croptransaction system 110 trains one or more models for predicting futurecrop characteristics. In some embodiments, the centralized croptransaction system 110 stores and maintains a price model used togenerate a predicted future price for the crop product type. Thecentralized crop transaction system 110 can use supervised orunsupervised machine learning to build the price model. Differentmachine learning techniques—such as neural networks, k-means clusteringmachine learning models, reinforcement learning models, linear supportvector machines (linear SVM), boosting for other algorithms (e.g.,AdaBoost), logistic regressions, naïve Bayes, memory-based learning,random forests, bagged trees, decision trees, boosted trees, or boostedstumps—may be used to train the price model in different embodiments.

The price model is configured to predict future prices for a cropproduct based on inputs including historic crop product information,current crop product information, and the crop product type. Thecentralized crop transaction system 110 accesses data, including one ormore of historic and current availability data, historic and currentweather data, historic and current price data, and historic and currentsatellite and other remote sensing data, from one or more external datasources 120 for use as inputs to the price model.

Satellite and remote sensing data include one or more measurements ofland, water, or atmospheric properties using reflected or emittedelectromagnetic radiation collected by satellites (e.g., sunsynchronous/polar orbiting; non-polar orbiting; geostationary), mannedaerial vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Satellite and remotesensing data includes passive and active measurements. Passivemeasurements include one or more of optical measurements (e.g.,reflected solar radiation, multispectral, hyperspectral), thermalmeasurements (e.g., emitted longwave radiation), and microwavemeasurements. Active measurements include one or more of radarmeasurements (radio detection and ranging) and lidar measurements (lightimaging, detection, and ranging). Satellite and remote sensing data maybe used to determine a temperature of a surface, moisture and structureof a surface, a topography of a surface, elevation of a surface,three-dimensional structure of a surface, imagery data, and the like.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110accesses raw satellite and remote sensing data from one or more externaldata sources 120. The centralized crop transaction system 110 appliesone or more algorithms to correct and extract information for use by theprice model or other models. For example, the centralized croptransaction system 110 applies an atmospheric correction algorithm tocalibrate and/or clean measurements associated with surface properties.In another example, the centralized crop transaction system 110 appliesone or more remote sensing information extraction paradigms to estimatecanopy properties (e.g., LAI, leaf chemistry, and moisture content) toidentify characteristics of crop products, such as crop product types,plant health metrics, predicted yield of crop, and the like. One or moremachine learning algorithms, image processing algorithms, and patternrecognition algorithms are used to extract canopy properties from thesatellite and remote sensing data. The identified canopy properties andother characteristics may be used by the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 to compare current characteristics to historic cleanedsatellite data to determine an expected yield or output for a cropproduct type based on coverage associated with the crop product type, anestimated volume of harvested product in storage based on detection ofstorage capacity (e.g., permanent storage such as silos, temporarystorage such as retaining walls and bags), to delineate boundariesbetween fields, farms, or properties, to identify use or application ofconservation management practices for locations (e.g., tillage, covercrops, residue), and to identify other trends or information describingcrop product production. For example, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 compares a current crop growth during a current season to atime series of historic crop growths for the season (e.g., comparing acurrent crop growth during a summer season to historic crop growthsduring summer) to determine an expected yield for the current cropgrowth based on historic yields.

In some embodiments, the price model predicts future prices, directionsof future price movement, and future price ranges based at least in parton a correlation between a historic quantity of a crop product type andhistoric prices of the crop product type within the online agriculturalsystem. In some embodiments, the price model predicts future prices,directions of future price movement, and price ranges based at least inpart on a correlation between historic quantities of a crop product typeand a current available quantity of the crop product type within theonline agricultural system. In some embodiments, the price modelpredicts future prices, directions of future price movement, and priceranges based at least in part on a correlation between estimates ofhistoric availability of a crop product type determined from historicsatellite data and an estimate of current availability of the cropproduct type determined from current satellite data. In someembodiments, the price model predicts future prices, directions offuture price movement, and price ranges based at least in part on acorrelation between historic prices of a crop product type within theonline agricultural system and current prices of the crop product typewithin the online agricultural system. In some embodiments, the pricemodel predicts future prices, directions of future price movement, andprice ranges based at least in part on a correlation between historicweather conditions and historic prices of the crop product type withinthe online agricultural system. In some embodiments, the price modelpredicts future prices, directions of future price movement, and priceranges based at least in part on a correlation between historic planthealth, crop yield and or crop production area inferred from remotesensing data. In other embodiments, the price model predicts futureprices, directions of future price movement, and price ranges based onone or more additional or different correlations, trends, or data. Itshould be noted that the correlations between historic data and currentdata described herein can be based on temporally consistent data (e.g.,the historic data refers to data from a particular time of the year,such as a date, month, or season, corresponding to the current data).

The centralized crop transaction system 110 displays the predictedfuture prices, directions of future price movement, and/or price rangesto users of the online agricultural system for use in or in conjunctionwith submitting crop product listings. In some embodiments, otherpredicted future crop characteristics are additionally presented tousers of the online agricultural system. In some embodiments, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 presents predicted future pricesfor crop products as a range of expected prices of the crop product, amaximum expected price of a crop product, an average or mean expectedprice of the crop product, or another measure or range of expected priceof the crop product. In some examples, the displayed measure of theexpected crop product price is associated with a crop product being soldbefore a threshold date or within a threshold date range. In someembodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110 additionallydisplays one or more of: an indication that an expected future price fora crop product is higher or lower than a current price for the cropproduct; a narrative or graphical explanation of why a future price isexpected to be higher or lower than a current price of the crop product,based at least in part on current crop product information and/orhistoric crop product information; a recommendation to a crop producerto sell a crop product before a threshold date; a recommendation to acrop producer to delay selling a crop product until after a thresholddate; a recommendation to a prospective acquiring entity to purchase acrop product before a threshold date; and a recommendation to aprospective acquiring entity to delay purchasing a crop product untilafter a threshold date. In some embodiments, the centralized croptransaction system 110 additionally presents one or both of the currentprice of the crop product type and historic prices of the crop producttype within the interface.

FIGS. 7A-D illustrate example user interfaces for notifications forclient devices from the centralized crop transaction system, accordingto various embodiments. FIG. 7A illustrates an example user interfacefor a crop producer submitting a crop product listing to the onlineagricultural system, the user interface displaying informationdescribing the available crop product and a notification 720Aidentifying a current price for the crop product type. In the example ofFIG. 7A, the user interface displays information describing theavailable crop product including a product type 705 (“Wheat”), a productamount 710 (“500 bushels”), and a requested price 715 (“$4.50/bushel”).Responsive to the centralized crop transaction system 110 determining acurrent price for the crop product type, the user interface is modifiedto include a notification 720A including the current price (“Note: Thecurrent price of wheat is $4.43/bushel.”). In other examples, thenotification 720A includes additional or different information or text,graphical data, or images describing the current price of the cropproduct. A crop producer viewing the crop product listing may elect topost the listing via a first selectable interface element 725 or tomodify one or more fields of the listing via a second selectableinterface element 730, a modification being potentially based on thecurrent price of the crop product identified in the notification 720A.For example, responsive to viewing the notification 720 identifying acurrent price of the crop product to be higher or lower than therequested price 715 of the crop product listing, a crop producer mayelect to modify the requested price of the crop product listingaccordingly in order to maximize profitability and/or a likelihood ofpurchase.

FIG. 7B illustrates an example user interface for a crop producersubmitting a crop product listing to the online agricultural system, theuser interface displaying information describing the available cropproduct and a notification 720B identifying a current price for the cropproduct, a predicted future price for the crop product, and a narrativeexplanation of the predicted future price. As in the example of FIG. 7A,the user interface of FIG. 7B displays to the crop producer a summaryincluding a product type 705, a product amount 710, and a requestedprice 715. Responsive to the centralized crop transaction system 110determining a current price for the crop product type and a predictedfuture price for the crop product type based at least in part onsatellite data, the user interface is modified to include a notification720B. In the example of FIG. 7B, the notification 720B identifies acurrent price (“The current price of wheat is $4.43/bushel”), thepredicted future price (“The expected price of wheat by Aug. 30, 2019 is$4.55/bushel”), and a narrative explanation for the predicted futureprice (“This estimate is generated based on satellite data indicating ashortage of wheat in your location. Click to view satellite map data foryour area.”). The crop producer viewing the crop product listing maythen elect to post the listing via the first selectable interfaceelement 725 or to modify the crop product listing via a secondselectable interface element 730.

In some embodiments, the user interface for a crop producer submitting acrop product listing will additionally display submitted, predicted, ormeasured quality metrics of the crop product to be listed. For example,quality metrics of the crop product, as discussed previously inconjunction with FIG. 2, may be entered manually by the crop producer,entered automatically via measurements taken by a production supply orinventory management system, or predicted based on one or more ofhistoric quality metrics, current satellite data associated with alocation of the crop producer, and other current data. Measurements ofcrop quality may be based on agricultural products in storage or inproduction (e.g., crops in the field, crops undergoing one or moreprocessing operations), and may be updated at one or more intervals,such as before, during, or after storage; before, during, or aftertransport; before or after contracting; and before or after delivery. Insome embodiments, a kit is provided for sampling one or more qualitymetrics. In some embodiments, a representative (for example, one or moreof prospective acquiring entities, the online agricultural system,transportation entities, or storage serves) collects one or more qualitymetrics. In some embodiments, a handheld device or one or more devicesin a mobile laboratory is used in a quality test. A mobile laboratorymay comprise one or more of the following devices: a transportationmeans, a test device, a reporting device (e.g., a printer or devicecapable of sending or receiving electronic communication), a geolocationdevice, and a data storage device including an electronicallyprogrammable memory (e.g., a solid-state, non-volatile computer storagemedium). The transportation means may be, for example, an autonomous ornon-autonomous vehicle capable of traveling by land or air, including acar, truck, farm equipment, unmanned aerial vehicle, plane, helicopter,drone, robot, or the like. The test device may be, for example, one ormore of: a DNA sequencer, a spectrometer (for example, a near infraredspectrometer), a grain scale dockage tester, a Dumas instrument, amoisture meter, a falling number meter, or the like.

FIG. 7C illustrates an example user interface for a crop producersubmitting a crop product listing to the online agricultural system, theuser interface displaying information describing the available cropproduct and a notification 720C identifying a current price for the cropproduct and flagging a requested price identified as abnormal. As in theexample of FIG. 7A, the user interface of FIG. 7C displays to the cropproducer a summary including a product type 705, a product amount 710,and a requested price 715 (“$10.00/bushel”).

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110implements anomaly detection based on current prices for crop producttypes. The centralized crop transaction system 110 uses one or moretechniques (e.g., moving averages, moving standard deviations) to createdaily thresholds for variability for a given crop producer, a given cropproduct, and a surrounding market of the crop producer. Responsive to aprice of a submitted crop product listing being outside of the thresholdfor variability, the centralized crop transaction system 110 identifiesthe crop product listing as anomalous.

In the example of FIG. 7C, responsive to the crop product listing beingidentified as anomalous, the user interface is modified to include anotification 720C to the crop producer indicating that the submittedprice is anomalous. As shown in the example of FIG. 7C, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 identifies and notifies the crop producer ofa difference between the current price and the requested price 715exceeding an expected value (“Your current requested price of$10.00/bushel is 225.73% higher than the current price of wheat.”). Inother examples, a threshold or expected value may be different, and adifference between the current price and the requested price 715 may bedisplayed using different expressions (e.g., as a ratio, as a fraction,as a magnitude) or different forms (e.g., using a graph or image).

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110automatically removes the crop product listing responsive to determiningthat the associated price is anomalous. In other embodiments, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 automatically blacklists orflags the crop producer associated with the crop product listingresponsive to determining that the price is anomalous.

FIG. 7D illustrates an example user interface for a crop producerassociated with a crop product listing on the online agriculturalsystem, the user interface displaying information describing a priceevent impacting the crop product listing. A price event is any marketevent that occurs or is predicted to occur that impacts a current priceor predicted future price for a crop product. In some embodiments, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 transmits notifications fornoteworthy price events. For example, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 transmits a notification for one or more of: a price crash, aprice boost, a supply shortage, a supply increase, new marketparticipants (e.g., new buyers or new sellers), urgent or short termprice availability (e.g., the next 20 minutes, the next hour, etc.),news events, and the like. In the embodiment of FIG. 7D, thenotification 760 is transmitted for display on a mobile client device(e.g., a smartphone) associated with the crop producer, for instance viaSMS message, within or outside of the context of an applicationassociated with the centralized crop transaction system 110, or within anotification interface of a client device operating system. Thenotification 760 identifies a current or predicted future price event(“NOTIFICATION: PRICE CRASH” and an expected impact on one or morespecified crop product listings associated with the crop producer(“Wheat is currently experiencing a price crash. Would you like tomodify your listing for wheat, 500 bushels?”). The user interfaceadditionally includes an invitation 765 for the crop producer to accessthe online agricultural system to view or modify the specified cropproduct listings (“Swipe down to access listing.”), such that a cropproducer is able to easily perform one or more actions within the onlineagricultural system in response to the price event. In otherembodiments, the notification is transmitted for display on differentclient devices (e.g., a desktop computer) associated with the cropproducer and may provide different or additional methods for viewing orinteracting with the notification.

FIG. 7E illustrates an example user interface for a crop producerassociated with a crop product listing on the online agriculturalsystem, the user interface displaying information describing anestimated profitability for the crop product listing based on one ormore factors. Based on data associated with a crop product listingsubmitted by the crop producer, the centralized crop transaction system110 determines an estimated profitability 775 for the crop product type770. In some embodiments, the crop product type is additionallyassociated with one or more filters 780 describing, for example, qualitymetrics of the crop product or other factors associated with the cropproduct.

In the example of FIG. 7E, the user interface displays informationdescribing an estimated profitability of the crop product listing basedon a month of delivery window. For a first selected month (“January”)the estimated profitability for an identified crop product 770 isdetermined based on a current expected market profitability for a basecrop product (“$−28/acre” for soybeans) and based on additionalcharacteristics of the crop product that affect the expected price ofthe crop product (“Indigo Certified Crop (ICC) adds $34/acre”). Forexample, additional characteristics of the crop product may be one ormore quality metrics of a listed crop product. The end result is anestimated profitability displayed within the interface (“$+6/acre”). Tocompute an expected profitability for a crop product, an estimatedprofitability benefit of each of one or more characteristics of the cropproduct can be computed and added to an expected profitability for acrop product without those features, and a set of predicted costsassociated with the crop product (such as transportation and storagecosts) can be subtracted from the sum to generate the expectedprofitability for the crop product.

In further examples, the user interface displays information describingan estimated profitability of the crop product listing based on one ormore other factors, such as transportation costs, storage costs,processing costs, additional quality metrics or crop productcharacteristics, and the like. In addition, the user interface candisplay information describing the effect one or more quality metrics,production practices, storage practices, or transportation and deliverypractices that are not listed or practiced for the current crop productlisting would have on price and/or profitability of future crop productsshould they be practiced or implemented. For example, productionpractices can be recommended to a crop producer and the correspondingeffect on profitability can be displayed in order to encourage the cropproducer to adopt such practices. Examples of such practices include theuse of crop rotation, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or othertreatments impacting a quality metric of the crop product; organicand/or non-GMO crop production; an application of watering, aeration, orother techniques; regenerative soil health practices such as no-till orlow-till cultivation; and the like.

In some embodiments, the user interface displays crop listings to a userof the centralized crop transaction system 110 in a particular order.For instance, for a crop producer looking for offers to purchase a cropproduct, the user interface can (either automatically or at the requestof the crop producer) order a set of crop listings based on an offeredpriced by each corresponding potential acquisition entity, based on anoffered priced minus an expected total cost of selling to a potentialacquisition entity (e.g. accounting for transportation, storage costs,and/or processing costs), based on an expected profitability associatedwith selling to each potential acquisition entity), based on atranslated price offered by each potential acquisition entity(accounting for crop product quality, distance, and/or expectedenvironmental or weather conditions), or based on any other suitablefactor. Likewise, a potential acquisition entity looking for offers tosell a crop product can view crop listings prioritized based on similarfactors, based on a price for each crop listing translated to accountfor transportation costs, and the like. In some embodiments, a user mayfilter the crop listings displayed on their user interface based. Forexample, the user may choose to view only certain elements of a croplisting (e.g. a user may select to only see the crop product price andcrop product type for each crop listing) or the user may choose to viewlistings having specific values for elements of the crop listing (e.g. auser may select to view listings have a crop location within a certainnumber of miles from their current location).

In some embodiments, additional data can be displayed to crop producersin order to help crop producers optimize crop production and/orprofitability. For instance, inventory data, demand opportunities,quality metrics before or after storage, feedback from marketplaceparticipants including inferences from transaction history, historicalreported inventories and demand opportunities, spot prices, local andglobal market trends, consumer demand and demographics, past and presentweather conditions, and the like can be displayed to a crop producer foruse in optimizing crop production. Data on differences between reportedquality metrics and quality metrics independently verified (e.g., atdelivery) can be presented to a crop producer or acquisition entity toinform, for example, supplier trustworthiness, production optimization,and/or selection of storage types and/or transportation methods forspecific crops, crop qualities, or climates. In some embodiments,current or future payments (for example, relative to futuretransactions) to a supplier can be reduced based on differences betweenreported quality metrics and quality metrics independently verified.

In some embodiments, the additional data displayed to crop producers inorder to help crop producers optimize crop production and/orprofitability includes crop product optimization advice and orinstructions. Crop production optimization is described further in U.S.application Ser. No. 16/057,387, filed Aug. 7, 2018, and herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. Crop production optimizationcan include prescriptive advice which may be communicated to suppliers,in particular crop producers, by means of an electronic communication tothe supplier or one or more pieces of equipment (for example tractor,robot or drone) in addition to a client device (such as a mobiledevice). For example, a farm specific nitrogen management plan could becommunicated to a device capable of implementing the plan withoutfurther human intervention, resulting in an altered rate, time, orsource of nitrogen application; similarly, a differential harvesting mapcould be automatically programmed from the collected data in on or moredatabases of the marketplace, including maps or satellite imagery of oneor more of a farmer's fields and communicated to that farmer'sharvesting equipment.

In some embodiments, production optimization results in prescriptiveadvice. In some embodiments, prescriptive advice is communicated toacquisition entities, such as manufacturers, by means of an electroniccommunication to the buyer or one or more system or piece of equipment(e.g., storage equipment, inventory control systems, formulationsystems, manufacturing) in addition to a client device (such as a mobiledevice). For example, a product reformulation based on actual orpredicted changes in the quantity, quality, or price of production ormore agricultural product is communicated to a device capable ofimplementing the plan without further human intervention, resulting inimproved profitability.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process for using a machine learning modelto determine future prices for crops, according to various embodiments.In an embodiment, the steps of FIG. 8 are performed by the centralizedcrop transaction system 110. In other embodiments, the steps may beperformed by other entities. In various embodiments, the method mayinclude different and/or additional steps, and the steps may beperformed in different orders than those described in conjunction withFIG. 8.

A centralized crop transaction system 110 receives 805, from a cropproducer, a request to list a crop product. The first request identifiesa type of crop product, a quantity of the crop product, and a locationof the crop product. In some embodiments, a location of the crop productmay be a field, storage facility, or other pick-up location. In otherembodiments, a location of the crop product may also encompass athreshold distance (e.g., a 10 mile radius) surrounding a location wherethe crop was produced or may be a county and state within which the cropwas produced. The centralized crop transaction system 110 accesses 810current crop product information including a current available quantityand current price of the type of crop product associated with thelocation of the crop product and current satellite data for the locationof the crop product. The centralized crop transaction system 110accesses 815 historic crop product information including historicquantities and historic prices of the type of crop product associatedwith the location of the crop product and historic satellite data forthe location of the crop product. In some embodiments, the currentand/or historic crop product information may include additional sourcesor types of information.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 trains 820 a price model forthe crop product using the accessed current crop product information andthe accessed historic crop product information. The centralized croptransaction system 110 predicts 825 a future price for the crop productof the request using corresponding historic and current crop data asinputs to the crop model, and presents 830 the predicted future price ofthe crop product within an interface for display by a client device ofthe crop producer. In some embodiments, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 suggests a current price for the crop product of the requestusing corresponding historic and current crop data as inputs to the cropmodel, and presents the suggested price of the crop product within aninterface for display by a client device of the crop producer. In thisexample, the interface may include an option for the crop producer toselect the suggested price as the crop product price of their request tolist a crop product.

Value Translation in an Online Agricultural System

Prices submitted by crop producers and prospective acquiring entitiesfor crop product listings on an online agricultural system may notaccurately reflect a final price for transferring possession of theassociated crop product from a crop producer to a prospective acquiringentity. Likewise, a price listed by a crop producer for a first cropproduct may not reflect the final price paid by a prospective acquiringentity for processing the first crop product to produce a second cropproduct. Factors including transportation costs, storage costs,processing costs, and the like may impact a final cost for the transferof possession of the crop product, and likewise may impact profitabilityfor crop producers. For example, processing costs for converting a rawcrop product to a processed agricultural good (e.g., sunflower seeds tosunflower oil; wheat to flour) may incur cost to a crop producer orprospective acquiring entity external to the price of the raw cropproduct. Crop producers and prospective acquiring entities searching foropportunities to purchase or sell crop products may therefore benefitfrom a system wherein displayed prices accurately reflect a final priceof transferring possession of the crop product, including processing orother costs. In another example, a crop producer or prospectiveacquiring entity searching for opportunities to purchase or sell cropproducts may benefit from a system wherein opportunities for commonlysubstituted goods are displayed in conjunction with opportunities forthe identified crop product (e.g., vegetable oil as a substitute forsunflower seed oil; a first grain or grain mix as a substitute for asecond grain or grain mix).

The centralized crop transaction system 110 identifies, for a cropproduct type, one or more opportunities associated with the purchase orsale of the crop product type, a processed variant of the crop producttype, and/or commonly substituted crop product types. For eachopportunity, the centralized crop transaction system 110 determines atranslated price, the translated price reflecting a final cost oftransferring possession of the crop product from a crop producer to aprospective acquiring entity. In some embodiments, the centralized croptransaction system 110 determines a translated price in conjunction witha crop transportation system 150 or one or more transportation entities160 associated with the online agricultural system.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110identifies, for each opportunity to purchase or sell a crop product, afirst location identified via a request to sell the crop product by acrop producer and a second location identified via a request to purchasethe crop product by a prospective acquiring entity. In one example, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 determines a translated pricefor the crop product based on a price requested by the crop producer anda transportation cost to transport the crop product from the firstlocation to the second location. In another example, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 determines a translated price for the cropproduct based on a price offered by the prospective acquiring entity anda transportation cost to transport the crop product from the firstlocation to the second location. The determination of transportationcosts and prices is discussed in greater detail below.

In other examples, the centralized crop transaction system 110determines a translated price for the crop product based at least inpart on one or more factors impacting transportation cost, including oneor more of a distance between the first location and the secondlocation, a quantity of the crop product offered by the crop producer, aquantity of the crop product requested by the prospective acquiringentity, a cost associated with a drop-off window identified by theprospective acquiring entity for delivery of the crop product to thesecond location, a cost associated with a pick-up window identified bythe crop producer for pick-up of the crop product at the first location,and the like. In some embodiments, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 determines translated prices only for crop productsidentified by a crop producer as available for delivery during thedrop-off window specified by the prospective acquiring entity. In someembodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110 determinestranslated prices only for crop products identified by a prospectiveacquiring entity as available for pick-up during the pick-up windowspecified by the crop producer.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110determines a translated price based on substitute crop products. Aspreviously noted, a substitute crop product identified by thecentralized crop transaction system 110 is a first crop product typethat may replace or be converted to a second crop product type. Forexample, a substitute crop product for sunflower seed oil may bevegetable oil or olive oil. In another example, a substitute cropproduct for flour may be wheat that, via one or more processing steps,can be converted to flour. The centralized crop transaction system 110determines a translated price for a crop product based at least in parton a price for converting a first crop product type offered by a cropproducer to a second crop product type requested by a prospectiveacquiring entity. In cases where the requested crop product type is aprocessed variant of the offered crop product, the translated price isbased on the cost of performing one or more processing steps. Someexamples include: a requested crop product is a processed oilseed and acrop product offered by a crop producer is unprocessed oilseed; therequested crop product is a food-grade oil and the crop product offeredby a crop producer is an unprocessed crop capable of being processedinto the type of food-grade oil; and the requested crop product is anoil with a specified fatty acid profile and the crop product offered bya crop producer is an unprocessed crop capable of being processed intoan oil with the specified fatty acid profile.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110determines a translated price for a crop product based at least in parton one or more factors associated with a crop product quality. Forexample, the translated price for the crop product is based on one ormore quality metrics identified via a request by the crop producer, oneor more quality metrics identified via a request by the prospectiveacquiring entity, one or more quality metrics identified via a requestby the crop producer that satisfy one or more quality metrics identifiedvia a request by the prospective acquiring entity, and the like. In oneexample, the requested crop product is a non-GMO crop product and thecrop product offered by a crop producer is an organic crop product. Insuch an example, the offered organic crop product is a non-GMO cropproduct by virtue of its organic certification, and thus the organiccrop product satisfies the non-GMO quality metric requested by theprospective acquiring entity.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 modifies a user interface todisplay to a user of the online agricultural system the one or moretranslated prices for crop product listings. In an embodiment, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 modifies the user interface toinclude one or more characteristics of a crop producer or prospectiveacquiring entity associated with each price in the set of the translatedprices. For example, the user interface is modified to display alocation of a crop producer or prospective acquiring entity impactingthe translated price for the crop product or one or more processingoptions impacting the translated price for the crop product.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example for identifying transaction opportunitiesbased at least in part on translated prices determined from croplocations, according to various embodiments. A crop producer 910accesses an online agricultural system to sell a crop product 915.Responsive to the crop producer 910 requesting listing the crop product(the listing including at least a crop product type and a first locationof the crop product), the centralized crop transaction system 110identifies one or more prospective acquiring entities 920 associatedwith a corresponding request to acquire a crop product. In theembodiment of FIG. 9, the one or more prospective acquiring entities 920request the crop product type of the crop product 915 associated withthe crop producer 910.

A first prospective acquiring entity 920A offers a first price for thecrop product 915. The first prospective acquiring entity 920A identifiesa location for delivery of the crop product a first distance from thecrop producer 910. A second prospective acquiring entity 920B offers asecond price for the crop product 915. The second prospective acquiringentity 920B identifies a location for delivery of the crop product asecond distance from the crop producer 910. In other examples,additional prospective acquiring entities are identified by thecentralized crop transaction system 110. In the example of FIG. 9, thefirst price offered by the first prospective acquiring entity 920A islower than the second price offered by the second prospective acquiringentity 920B. However, because the second prospective acquiring entity920B identifies a location a greater distance from the crop producer 910than the location identified by the first prospective acquiring entity920B, factors including transportation costs for delivering the cropproduct 910 to complete a transfer of possession may impact a finalprice for the transaction.

In order to make a comparison between the first opportunity to transactwith the first prospective acquiring entity 920A and the secondopportunity to transact with the second prospective acquiring entity920B, the centralized crop transaction system 110 determines atranslated price for each opportunity. For example, the centralized croptransaction system 110 determines a first transportation cost associatedwith delivering the crop product 915 from a location of the cropproducer 910 to the location for delivery of the first prospectiveacquiring entity 920A and determines a second transportation costassociated with delivering the crop product from the location of thecrop producer to the location for delivery of the second prospectiveacquiring entity 920B. In some embodiments, the centralized croptransaction system 110 determines transportation costs for theopportunities in association with a crop transportation system 150 ofthe online agricultural system (e.g., by selecting a transportationentity 160 associated with a lowest price for performing the delivery).In other embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110determines transportation costs for the opportunities based on data fromone or more external data sources 120 describing information impactingtransportation of the crop product 915, such as gas prices for an areaincluding the locations, weather conditions for the area, equipmentrequirements, transportation entity availability for the area,seasonality for the crop product or other crop products within the area,and road mileage between the locations. In some embodiments, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 determines translated prices forthe opportunities by additively combining the corresponding offeredprice and transportation cost.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 modifies a user interfacefor the crop producer 910 to display the one or more opportunities totransact with the prospective acquiring entities 920, the modified userinterface including the corresponding translated prices. In someembodiments, the modified user interface additionally includes anexplanation or components of the translated prices. For example, themodified user interface includes a transportation entity associated withthe determined transportation cost or one or more factors (e.g.,mileage, gas prices, etc.) impacting a determined transportation cost.In some embodiments, the modified user interface additionally displaysthe prices offered by the prospective acquiring entities (e.g., anoriginal offered price and a translated price). The modified userinterface is configured such that, responsive to an indication orselection of an opportunity by the crop producer 910, one or morecontracts for the transfer of possession of the crop product 915 areexecuted between the crop producer, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110, and the selected prospective acquiring entity.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example for identifying transaction opportunitiesbased at least in part on a translated price determined for alternatecrop products, according to various embodiments. A crop producer 1010accesses an online agricultural system to sell a crop product 1015(e.g., olives). Responsive to the crop producer 1010 requesting the cropproduct listing, including at least a crop product type and a firstlocation of the crop product, the centralized crop transaction system110 identifies one or more prospective acquiring entities 1020associated with a corresponding request to acquire a crop product. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 10, the one or more prospective acquiringentities identify a crop product type that is the crop product 1015(e.g., olives) or is a processed crop product variant that the cropproduct is capable of being processed into (e.g., olive oil).

A first prospective acquiring entity 1020A offers a first price for thecrop product 1015. The first prospective acquiring entity 1020Aidentifies a location for delivery of the crop product a first distancefrom the crop producer 1010. A second prospective acquiring entity 1020Boffers a second price for a processed crop product that the crop product1015 is capable of being processed into. The second prospectiveacquiring entity 1020B identifies a location for delivery of theprocessed crop product a second distance from the crop producer 1010. Inother examples, additional prospective acquiring entities are identifiedby the centralized crop transaction system 110. In the example of FIG.10, the first price offered by the first prospective entity 1020A islower than the second price offered by the second prospective acquiringentity 1020B. However, because the second prospective acquiring entity1020B identifies a processed crop product requiring that the cropproduct 1015 undergo one or more processing steps prior to delivery tothe second prospective acquiring entity, factors including processingcosts and transportation costs to complete a transfer of possession mayimpact a final price for the transaction.

To make a comparison between the first opportunity to transact with thefirst prospective acquiring entity 1020A and the second opportunity totransact with the second prospective acquiring entity 1020B, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 determines a translated pricefor each opportunity. The centralized crop transaction system 110identifies one or more processing steps 1040 required to convert thecrop product 1015 to the requested crop product type identified by thesecond prospective acquiring entity 1020B. The centralized croptransaction system 110 identifies one or more entities for performingthe processing steps 1040 and identifies a processing cost associatedwith each entity. In some embodiments, the entity for performing theprocessing steps 1040 is a third-party entity associated with the onlineagricultural system. The centralized crop transaction system 110 selectsan entity for performing the processing steps 1040 based at least inpart on a processing cost associated with the entity, a distance betweenthe location of the crop producer 1010 and a location for theprocessing, and a distance between the location for the processing andthe location for delivery identified by the second prospective acquiringentity 1020B. In some embodiments, the selection is additionallyperformed based at least in part on a rating for the entity, a qualitymetric or quality guarantee for the entity, a preference for the entityindicated by the crop producer 1010 and/or the second prospectiveacquiring entity 1020B, and the like.

In some embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110additionally determines transportation costs associated with eachopportunity, as described further in conjunction with FIG. 9. Forexample, a transportation cost for the second opportunity to transactwith the second prospective acquiring entity 1020B is determined basedon a first transportation from the location of the crop producer 1010 toa location for processing 1040 and a second transportation from thelocation for processing to the location for delivery identified by thesecond prospective acquiring entity 1020B.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 determines translated pricesfor each opportunity based on the corresponding offered price,transportation costs, and processing costs. In some embodiments, thetranslated prices are determined by additively combining the one or morecosts. The centralized crop transaction system 110 then modifies a userinterface for the crop producer 1010 to display the one or moreopportunities to transact with the prospective acquiring entities 1020,the modified user interface including the corresponding translatedprices. In some embodiments as described in conjunction with FIG. 9, themodified user interface additionally includes an explanation orcomponents of the translated prices. The modified user interface isconfigured such that, responsive to an indication or selection of anopportunity by the crop producer 1010, one or more contracts for thetransfer of possession of the crop product 1015 are executed between thecrop producer, the centralized crop transaction system 110, and theselected prospective acquiring entity.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example process for determining translated pricesfor crop products, according to various embodiments. In an embodiment,the steps of FIG. 11 are performed by the centralized crop transactionsystem 110. In other embodiments, the steps may be performed by otherentities. In various embodiments, the method may include differentand/or additional steps, and the steps may be performed in differentorders than those described in conjunction with FIG. 11.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 receives 1105, from a cropproducer, a first request to list a crop product. The first requestidentifies a first type of the crop product, a first quantity of thecrop product, a location of the crop product, and a first price of thecrop product. In an embodiment, the centralized crop transaction system110 receives one or more first requests to list crop products from oneor more crop producers. The centralized crop transaction system 110receives 1110, from one or more prospective acquiring entities, acorresponding second request to acquire a crop product. Each secondrequest identifies a second type of crop product, a second quantity ofcrop product, a location to which the crop product is to be delivered,and a second price of the crop product. In other examples, the firstand/or second requests may include additional information for the cropproduct.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 computes 1115 a firsttranslated price for each combination of the first request and a secondrequest. The first translated price is a price for the crop productidentified by the first request at the location to which the cropproduct is to be delivered identified by the second request. Thecentralized crop transaction system 110 computes 1120 a secondtranslated price for each combination of the first request and a secondrequest. The second translated price is a price for the crop productidentified by the second request at the location of the crop productidentified by the first request.

The centralized crop transaction system 110 modifies 1125 a firstinterface for display by a client device of the crop producer, the firstinterface including a set of the second translated prices. Thecentralized crop transaction system 110 modifies 1130 a second interfacefor display by a client device of a prospective acquiring entity, thesecond interface including a set of the first translated pricescorresponding to the location to which the crop product is to bedelivered corresponding to the prospective acquiring entity.

As noted above, in some embodiments, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 modifies an interface for display by a client device of thecrop producer including one or more requests by prospective acquiringentities ranked based on price or predicted profitability for the cropproducer. The one or more requests include translated prices based onone or more characteristics or factors impacting a current or predictedfuture price. Characteristics may impact the profitability and rankingof one or more requests differently (e.g., a highest value opportunityfor the crop producer can be based off of a particular crop productvariety; a second highest value opportunity can be based off of aproduction practice resulting in a price premium such as no-tillfarming; and a third highest value opportunity can be based off of acrop product characteristic such as a percent protein).

In a further embodiment, the centralized crop transaction system 110determines profitability associated with one or more requests based onan estimated cost of production. The estimated cost of production isdetermined based on one or more of: a historic cost of production, areported use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, seed technology,and or other production practices; a type of production facility; alocation of the production facility; availability and utilization ofcrop product storage facilities; location specific market factorsincluding, for example, labor and fuel costs; and the like. Based on anestimated cost of production and a price for the crop product, thecentralized crop transaction system 110 determines an estimatedprofitability. In some embodiments, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 additionally identifies one or more modifications for a cropproducer to increase or optimize profitability for a current or futurecrop product. For example, the centralized crop transaction system 110identifies modifications to factors impacting profitability of the cropproduct, such as transportation (e.g., an increase in profitability fortransportation performed by the crop producer), storage method or type,one or more processing steps, and crop product characteristics (e.g.,organic vs. non-organic, GMO vs. non-GMO, no-till practices, proteincontent of crop product, levels of fertilizer use, use of irrigation,and the like). In some embodiments, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 presents the one or more factors to the crop producer as arecommendation to improve current or future valuation of the cropproduct.

Crop Transportation System

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an architecture of a crop transportationsystem 150. The crop transportation system 150 shown in FIG. 12 includesa user store 1205, a map data store 1210, a historic data store 1215, anenvironmental data store 1220, a request receipt module 1225, anoptimization module 1230, a transport assignment module 1235, a routegeneration module 1240, and a transport interface module 1245. In otherembodiments, the crop transportation system 150 may include additional,fewer, or different components for various applications.

The user store 1205 stores and maintains data describing users of thecrop transportation system 150. Data describing users of the croptransportation system 150 includes, for example, user roles or types;user activity (e.g., previous routes or loads); user preferences (e.g.,home location, desired ending location, maximum length of trip,blacklisted delivery or pick-up locations); user locations (e.g.,current and historical location, heading, speed, engine RPM, miles pergallon (MPG), or other measure of engine efficiency); equipmentavailable to the user (e.g., trailer type); and the like. In someembodiments as described in conjunction with FIG. 2, the user store 1205stores and maintains information for a profile describing a useridentity and information relevant to transactions or transportation ofcrop products via the online agricultural system. For example, usersidentified as transportation entities 160 provide to the user store 1205information including their legal name, possession of a driver's licenseor commercial driver's license (CDL), copy of state license, licenseexpiration date, United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)number, operating authority motor transportation entity (MC) number, andcommercial plate tag number. Users identified as transportation entities160 additionally provide to the user store 1205 information describingtrucks, trailers, or other vehicles used for crop transportation,including a commercial plate tag or license plate number, truck powerunit license, trailer license plate, inspection certification,registration sticker, certifications to carry specific agriculturalgoods or crop products (e.g., ammonium nitrate fertilizers), and anyadditional information obtained through the vehicle registrationprocess. Users identified as transportation entities 160 additionallyprovide to the user store 1205 information describing insuranceinformation for crop transportation, including insurance for each ofgeneral liability, cargo, automobile, workers' compensation, name ofinsured, insurance companies, policy number(s), policy period(s), andnumber of drivers, number of trucks, and truck types.

In some embodiments, users identified as transportation entities 160additionally sign one or more enrollment agreements stored in the userstore 1205. For example, transportation entities 160 sign one or moreof: a guarantee to comply with all outlined driver requirements andtruck requirements; a guarantee to maintain sanitary conditions oftransportation operation; a guarantee to maintain insurance coverage; anagreement to meet a driver eligibility criteria; an agreement to meet atruck eligibility criteria; an agreement to meet sanitary procedures andspecifications; and an agreement to general safety requirements.

In some embodiments, transportation entities 160 are associated withfeedback provided from other users of the online agricultural system.Operators, drivers, representatives of origin or destination facilities(e.g., crop producers, acquiring entities, representatives of storage orintermediate facilities), and other users are able to provide feedbackon users of the crop transportation system 150. For example, ratings maybe a numeric value or a written review describing performance, behavior,maintenance, and efficiency of a user. Transportation entity ratings maybe based on current, past, or predicted future behavior. Ratings mayinclude an average user rating, a frequency of user ratings above orbelow a threshold value (e.g., 3 stars or a 90% approval rating), acalculated score based on a user rating and characteristics thereof(e.g., weighted based on credibility of an evaluator), calculated scoresbased on characteristics of a user without input from an evaluator(e.g., a historic responsiveness score, an on-time arrival percentage,and the like), and/or one or more values previously computed for thetransportation entity 160. One or more values may be associated withtransportation entities, including, for example: average fuelefficiency, an average or median amount of time spent at a location,frequency of delivery within delivery windows, frequency of pick-upwithin pick-up windows, frequency of actual from expected delivery orpick-up times, reports of property damage, an average of median amountof time to perform an operation with a type of transportation equipment,and the frequency of occurrences where a time for an operation exceedsan average or median amount of time for that operation. One or morevalues may be associated with transportation facilities (e.g. pick-uplocations or drop-off locations), including, for example: an average ormedian amount of time spent at a location, an average or median amountof time to complete a loading operation, an average or median amount oftime to complete a loading operation with a type of loading equipment,an average or median amount of time to complete an unloading operationwith a type of unloading equipment, an average of median amount of timeto perform an operation with a type of transportation equipment, and thefrequency of occurrences where a time for an operation exceeds anaverage or median amount of time for that operation.

In embodiments where the crop transportation system 150 and thecentralized crop transaction system 110 share one or more users, theuser store 1205 includes data describing user activity on the croptransportation system 150 and the centralized crop transportation system150.

In some embodiments, some or all of the user information stored by theuser store 1205 is displayed to users of the crop transportation system150 within an interface of the crop transportation system (such as amobile application GUI). In other embodiments, some or all of the userinformation stored by the user store 1205 is private, such that usersare able to access their corresponding information but cannot accessinformation of other users. In other embodiments, some or all of theuser information is obscured or otherwise anonymized.

The map data store 1210 stores and maintains map data for one or moregeographic areas. “Map data” describes any information identifying ageographic location. Map data may or may not include a diagrammaticrepresentation of an area. Map data describes one or morecharacteristics for geographic areas impacting transportation throughthe geographic areas, including roads, traffic, elevation, obstructionsor other current statuses impacting the geographic area, buildings, andthe like. In some embodiments, map data is accessed via one or moreexternal data sources 120 and is updated periodically (e.g., eachsecond, each hour).

The historic data store 1215 stores and maintains historic dataassociated with crop transportation. The historic data store 1215receives information associated with the transportation of crop productsperformed via the crop transportation system 150 and stores theinformation in association with information describing croptransactions, conditions, entities, and other information describing thetransportation. For example, the historic data store 210 receivesinformation associated with contracts for crop transportation executedon the crop transportation system 150, the information identifying theentities requesting and providing the transportation, a type andquantity of crop product, a pick-up location for the crop product, adrop-off location for the crop product, a pick-up window for the cropproduct, a drop-off window for the crop product, ratings for one or moreentities associated with the crop transport, weather conditions for atime and area corresponding to the transport, equipment required foreach entity to execute the transport, proof of delivery, and atransportation cost for the historic transportation.

In some embodiments, the historic data store 1215 additionally accessesone or more external data sources 120 for historic data describingconditions or factors associated with crop transportation. For example,the historic data store 1215 accesses and stores information describingcrop transportations performed externally to the crop transportationsystem 150.

The environmental data store 1220 stores and maintains environmentaldata impacting crop transportation received from one or more externaldata sources 120. In one embodiment, the environmental data store 1220accesses one or more external data sources 120 describing currentenvironmental conditions or factors impacting crop transportation. Forexample, the environmental data store 1220 accesses and storesinformation including current or predicted future precipitation, currentor predicted future humidity, current or predicted future winddirections and magnitudes, current or predicted future inclementweather, current or future temperature, and other weather conditionsthat may require particular equipment for crop transportation (e.g., acover to prevent crop degradation due to precipitation) or negativelyimpact conditions for crop transportation (e.g., icy roads).

The request receipt module 1225 receives requests from users of the croptransportation system 150 to arrange transportation for crop products.Crop producers or prospective acquiring entities may submit requests tothe crop transportation system 150 for a transportation entity 160 totransport a crop product. Transportation entities may submit requests tothe crop transportation system 150 for an opportunity to transport acrop product. Users may additionally submit requests to the croptransportation system 150 to access requests for crop transportation,access past crop transportations, view profiles or informationassociated with users, execute contracts for performing croptransportation, exchange communications with users of the croptransportation system, and the like. In some embodiments, the requestreceipt module 1225 determines whether a user is able to perform anaction on the crop transportation system 150 based on a user roleassociated with the user in the user store 1205. For example, usersassociated with a transportation entity role are able to executecontracts to perform crop transportation for entities, but are unable torequest crop transportation from another transportation entity.

The optimization module 1230 receives requests for crop transportationand determines prices and methods for optimizing crop transportation.Responsive to receiving via the request receipt module 1225 a request bya transportation entity 160 to access opportunities to transport a cropproduct, the optimization module 1230 identifies one or moreopportunities to present to the transportation entity 160. In someembodiments, the optimization module 1230 identifies the one or moreopportunities based at least in part on an optimization of profits forthe crop transportation system 150, a transportation entity, a cropproducer, or another entity. For example, opportunities to transport acrop product offering greater compensation or opportunities to transporta crop product offering greater compensation per distance can beidentified for display to the transportation entity 160. In anotherexample, the optimization module 1230 maximizes profitability for atransportation entity based on one or more of time to complete one ormore opportunities, laden miles, impact of routes (e.g., distance atcruising speed, elevation changes, etc.), fuel use efficiency, and aweight of a load (e.g., heavier loads reduce fuel efficiency, impactingprofitability of a trip). In another example, the optimization module1230 requests information describing fuel fill-ups from transportationentities to determine fuel efficiency of the vehicle corresponding toparticular conditions of a crop transportation to maximizeprofitability. In some embodiments, the optimization module 1230identifies one or more opportunities based at least in part on logisticsassociated with the opportunities, such as equipment requirements (typesof vehicle, crop product monitors during transport, cover againstweather conditions, etc.), pick-up and delivery windows or locations, aset of routes beginning and/or ending at or near specific locations,sequence constraints for loads based on crop product type (e.g., rinsinghoppers before or after hauling agricultural goods such as fertilizers;sweeping out trucks after hauling agricultural goods such as grains),and the like. In some embodiments, the optimization module 1230identifies one or more opportunities based at least in part onpreferences of the requesting transportation entity 160, such asavailable backloads or backhauls, preferred crop producers or storageentities, preferred routes or areas, and the like.

The optimization module 1230 additionally identifies one or moretransportation entities 160 available to transport a crop product tocrop producers or prospective acquiring entities requestingtransportation of a crop product. Responsive to receiving the request,the optimization module 1230 identifies one or more transportationentities 160 available to transport the crop product. In someembodiments, the optimization module 1230 identifies the one or moretransportation entities 160 based at least in part on a priceoptimization, such that transportation entities offering a lower pricefor the transportation opportunity or a lower price per distance aremore likely to be identified for display to the requesting user. In someembodiments, the optimization module 1230 identifies one or moretransportation entities 160 based at least in part on logisticsassociated with the opportunities, such as equipment requirements (typesof vehicle, crop product monitors during transport, cover againstweather conditions, etc.), pick-up and delivery windows or locations, aset of routes beginning and/or ending at or near specific locations,sequence constraints for loads based on crop product type (e.g., rinsinghoppers before or after hauling agricultural goods such as fertilizers;sweeping out trucks after hauling agricultural goods such as grains),and the like. In some embodiments, the optimization module 1230identifies one or more transportation entities 160 based at least inpart on preferences of the requesting user, such as preferredtransportation entities. In some embodiments, the optimization module1230 identifies one or more transportation entities 160 based at leastin part on a location, a heading, a speed, an engine revolutions perminute (RPM), a miles per gallon (MPG), a measure of engine efficiency,a proximity to a pick-up location, a proximity to a facility forcleaning transportation equipment (for example, a facility for washing ahopper trailer), an estimated cost of operation, and an inferredpreference of the one or more transportation entities.

The transport assignment module 1235 assigns transportation entities 160of the crop transportation system 150 to requests for croptransportation. Responsive to a selection by a user of the croptransportation system 150 to complete a crop transportation request, thetransport assignment module 1235 executes a contract assigning atransportation entity 160 to complete a requested transportationrequest. In some embodiments, the transport assignment module 1235executes a contract to assign a transportation entity 160 to a requestfor transportation responsive to a selection by either thetransportation entity 160 and the requesting entity. For example, atransportation entity 160 selects an opportunity to perform a croptransportation for a requesting entity. Responsive to receiving theselection, the transport assignment module 1235 executes the contract tocomplete the assignment. In another example, a requesting entity selectsan available transportation entity 160 to perform a crop transportation.Responsive to receiving the selection, the transport assignment module1235 executes the contract to complete the assignment. In otherembodiments, the transport assignment module 1235 requires confirmationfrom both the transportation entity 160 and the requesting entity toexecute a contract to complete the assignment.

In some embodiments, the transport assignment module 1235 furtherrequests confirmation from one or more of the transportation entity 160and other entities associated with the crop transportation of completionof one or more steps for transportation services. For example,transportation services can include: receiving a list of supplierssupplying a demand opportunity, compiling data describing crop producersor prospective acquiring entities (e.g., from an online agriculturalsystem), contracting one or more crop producers or suppliers to arrangelogistics, preparing a Bill of Lading with delivery instructions,sending a transportation entity and/or equipment of a transportationentity, confirming receipt and/or approval of the delivery schedule,receiving and/or processing the executed Bill of Lading, receivingand/or processing proof of delivery and/or proof of one or more qualitymetrics tested at delivery (e.g., a scale ticket), preparing a set ofone or more proofs of delivery and/or one or more proofs of one or morequality metrics, and triggering one or more payment processes based onthe set of delivery and quality proofs.

The route generation module 1240 receives requests for routes for croptransportation from transportation entities 160 of the croptransportation system 150 and identifies an optimized route for the croptransportation based on routes selected for or by the transportationentities. Responsive to a request from a transportation entity 160 togenerate a route for crop transportation for an assignment executed onthe crop transportation system 150, the route generation module 1240accesses data associated with the crop transportation, including apick-up location, a drop-off location, a pick-up window, a drop-offwindow, one or more equipment requirements associated with the pick-upor drop-off, and/or one or more procedural or logistical requirementsassociated with the pick-up or drop-off. The route generation module1240 accesses map data for an area including the pick-up location andthe drop-off location stored in the map data store and selects one ormore routes from the pick-up location to the drop-off location. Forexample, the route generation module 1240 identifies one or more routesto optimize profitability, a mileage or time for the transportation suchthat a selected route provides a shortest distance traveled between thepick-up location and the drop-off location, a shortest time traveled, atime traveled corresponding to a difference between the pick-up windowand the drop-off window, a fuel use efficiency, a minimized risk forcrop product degradation, and the like.

The route generation module 1240 accesses environmental information forthe area including the pick-up location and the drop-off location. Basedon environmental information for the area, the route generation module1240 identifies potential environmental factors impacting croptransportation and selects or modifies a route based on the potentialenvironmental factors. For example, the route generation module 1240determines that a rainstorm is predicted for an area. To avoiddegradation of the crop product due to rain, the route generation module1240 selects a route that circumvents the area affected by therainstorm. The route generation module 1240 transmits the selected routefor display to the transportation entity 160.

In some embodiments, the route generation module 1240 additionallyaccesses information describing vehicles in-transit. For example,electronic logging devices (ELDs), mobile device applications, or othertracking devices or software are used to record and transmit informationto the crop transportation system 150 describing vehicles in-transit.Based on the data, the crop transportation system 150 determinesinformation such as engine RPM, direction, location, and speed andinfers information including whether the transport equipment is loadedor unloaded, whether they are likely to accept an opportunity for croptransportation, and the like. In some embodiments, the route generationmodule 1240 adjusts a route generated for a transport vehicle based on acurrent location and heading associated with the transport vehicle. Forexample, a transport vehicle is determined based on a current locationto have deviated from the planned route. The route generation module1240 modifies the route based on the current location.

The transport interface module 1245 generates and modifies interfacesfor users of the crop transportation system 150 and transmits theinterfaces to client devices for presentation. The transport interfacemodule 1245 generates interfaces for users of the crop transportationsystem 150 to interact with and submit requests for crop transportation,to interact with other users of the crop transportation system, to viewinformation associated with assignments for crop transportation, totrack locations of crop products in transit, and to perform otheractions on the crop transportation system 150. In some embodiments, thetransport interface module 1245 modifies interfaces generated for usersbased on a role for the corresponding user, such that a transportationentity 160 is provided with one or more different interfaces than arequesting user. For example, the transport interface module 1245generates interfaces for transportation entities 160 directed to viewingor submitting reviews for requesting entities and viewing and modifyingroutes for crop transportation.

Transportation Presentation in an Online Agricultural System

Crop transportation costs may impact the profitability of crop producttransactions executed on an online agricultural system. Because croptransportation costs depend on many external factors, such as a pick-uplocation for the crop product, a destination location for the cropproduct, pick-up and drop-off windows, crop transportation logistics,equipment required for crop transportation, and environmental factorsimpacting the crop transportation, it may be difficult for cropproducers or prospective acquiring entities to compare profitabilitybetween opportunities for crop product transactions. Additionally, itmay be difficult for crop producers or prospective acquiring entities todetermine whether to arrange external crop product transportation or toselect a crop product transportation opportunity arranged by the onlineagricultural system. The crop transportation system 150 computes atransportation cost determined to result in an acceptance of atransportation request by a candidate transportation entity and modifiesan interface within the online agricultural system to include thecomputed transportation cost. It should be noted that although theseterms may be used interchangeably herein, “transportation cost” refersto an amount of money expended by a transportation entity to transport acrop product, and “transportation price” refers to an amount of moneypaid to a transportation entity to transport a crop product. Atransportation cost, may include an opportunity cost for one or morevehicle operators, a rate of return on capital invested, and or a profitmargin.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses an interaction within theonline agricultural system between a crop producer and a prospectiveacquiring entity. Interactions are associated with a crop productlisting identifying a crop product type, a crop product quantity, a cropproduct pick-up location, and a crop product destination location. Aninteraction may be, for example, a request by the prospective acquiringentity to purchase the crop product associated with the crop productlisting from the crop producer. The crop transportation system 150identifies, in real-time, a set of candidate transportation entitiesable to perform the crop product transportation. In an embodiment, eachof the set of transportation entities are currently located within athreshold distance or a threshold transit time of the crop pick-uplocation.

Based on the interaction within the online agricultural system, the croptransportation system 150 further identifies environmental factorsassociated with transporting the crop product (e.g., predicted weatherconditions between the crop product pick-up location and destinationlocation, predicted traffic conditions between the crop product pick-uplocation an destination, and the like), required certifications and orlicensures required to transport a crop, and equipment requirementsassociated with transporting the crop product (e.g., required unloadingequipment, required loading equipment, required transportation capacity,required equipment to protect the crop product from moisture, requiredequipment to monitor a measure of moisture, required equipment toprotect the crop product from temperature fluctuation, requiredequipment to monitor a temperature of the crop product, and the like).In some embodiments, the environmental factors and equipmentrequirements are used to determine whether a candidate transportationentity is able to perform the crop transportation.

For each candidate transportation entity, the crop transportation system150 computes a transportation cost for the crop product listing. In someembodiments, the transportation cost is computed based at least in parton one or more of: a distance between the crop product pick-up locationand the crop product destination location, environmental factorsassociated with transporting the crop product, a distance between acurrent location of the transportation entity and the pick-up location,an estimated transportation time, an estimated wait time at one or bothof the crop product pick-up location and the crop product destinationlocation, inclement weather conditions associated with transporting thecrop product, and a number of transportation entities in the set oftransportation entities. For example, the computed transportation costincreases as the distance between the transportation entity and the cropproduct pick-up location increases, increases as the distance betweenthe crop product pick-up location and the crop product destinationlocation increases, increases as the estimated transportation timeincreases, and/or increases as the estimated wait time at the cropproduct pick-up or destination locations increases.

Based on the computed transportation costs, the crop transportationsystem 150 selects a transportation cost of the computed transportationcosts for display as a transportation price to one or moretransportation entities and modifies an interface displayed by a clientdevice of a transportation entity in the set of candidate transportationentities to include the transportation price. For example, the croptransportation system 150 can compute a transportation cost for eachcandidate transportation entity, and can select the lowesttransportation cost of the computed transportation costs for display toall candidate transportation entities as a transportation price. Inanother example, the crop transportation system 150 selects atransportation price within a threshold percentage of the lowesttransportation cost. For example, a transportation price within a bottom10^(th) percentile, a 15^(th) percentile, 30^(th) percentile, etc. ofthe computed transportation costs can be displayed to the candidatetransportation entities. The interface is configured to, responsive toan input by the viewing transportation entity, automatically execute acontract with the transportation entity to perform the croptransportation in exchange for compensation based on the displayedtransportation price. In some embodiments, the interface is displayedwithin a transportation application and is further configured toidentify candidate transportation routes for the selected transportationentity and to enable the transportation entity to select from among theidentified candidate transportation routes. In one example, each of thedisplayed candidate transportation routes also includes an estimatedcost or profitability associated with selection of that route. In otherembodiments, the interface is displayed within a transportationapplication and is further configured to automatically select atransportation route for the selected transportation entity to transportthe crop product. In one example, the route which is estimated tomaximize profitability of the transportation entity is automaticallyselected.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example grower interface for pending croptransactions, according to various embodiments. An online agriculturalsystem displays via a centralized crop transaction system 110 a cropproduct listing 1305. In the example of FIG. 13, the crop productlisting 1305 has not yet resulted in an executed transaction, but hasreceived one or more pending offers from prospective acquiring entities.Each pending offer is associated with information describing the cropproduct transaction, including a crop product type, a crop productquantity, and a destination location of the prospective acquiringentity. In the example of FIG. 13, the grower is additionally associatedwith a pick-up location.

The crop transportation system 110 determines, for each pending offer, atransportation price associated with a transportation entity. Based onthe computed transportation prices, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 modifies the grower interface to display a transportationtype 1310 indicating an entity responsible for arranging transportationfor a contract if executed and the corresponding price 1315 indicating aprice for the transaction based at least in part on the correspondingtransportation price.

For example, the crop transportation system 150 identifies, for a firstpending offer, that the grower arranging transportation corresponds to ahighest profitability for the transaction. The centralized croptransaction system 110 displays the transportation type 1310A (“Arrangedby grower”) and a corresponding modified price 1315A (“$4.50/bushel”)for the transaction if the transportation is arranged by the grower.

In another example, the crop transportation system 150 identifies, for asecond pending offer, a transportation price for a selectedtransportation entity arranged by the crop transportation system fortransportation from the grower to a first destination location. Thecentralized crop transaction system 110 displays the transportation type1310B (“Arranged by INDIGO”) and a corresponding modified price 1315B(“$4.40/bushel”) for the transaction reflecting the transportation priceof the selected transportation entity. In one embodiment, the firstpending offer and the second pending offer are associated with a sameprospective acquiring entity. In other embodiments, the first pendingoffer and the second pending offer are associated with differentprospective acquiring entities.

The crop transportation system 150 identifies, for a third pendingoffer, a transportation price for a selected transportation entityarranged by the crop transportation system for transportation from thegrower to a second destination location. The centralized croptransaction system 110 displays the transportation type 1310C (“Arrangedby INDIGO”) and the corresponding modified price 1315C (“$4.35/bushel”)for the transaction reflecting the transportation price of the selectedtransportation entity. It should be noted that in the embodiment of FIG.13, the requested prices listed are prices to be paid to the grower.

By displaying one or more prices wherein a grower arranges thetransportation of the crop product and one or more prices wherein thecrop transportation system 150 arranges the transportation of the cropproduct, the online agricultural system enables the viewing user toselect a most profitable transaction to execute. For example, growerscapable of performing crop transportation (e.g., owning equipment totransport the crop product to a prospective acquiring entity) may selectto execute a contract for the first pending offer to maximizeprofitability for the crop product listing. In another example, growersthat are not capable of performing crop transportation may select toexecute a contract for the second pending offer to maximizeprofitability for the crop product listing and minimize time invested inarranging external crop transportation.

In some embodiments as described above, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 displays to a viewing user one or more offers for a cropproduct based on an expected profitability in order to enable theviewing user to select a most profitable transaction. For example, thecrop transportation system 150 identifies that a first opportunity for acrop transaction is more profitable than a second based on one or morefactors including transportation arrangements (e.g., a crop producer mayincrease their profit by $0.02/bushel by providing transportationthemselves rather than arranging transportation with a third-partytransportation entity). In some embodiments, the profitability isdetermined in part based on an expected cost to the viewing user. Infurther embodiments, the centralized crop transaction system 110includes an option for a viewing user to correct or update an expectedcost generated by the system, such that expected profitabilitycalculations are more accurate. In further embodiments, the centralizedcrop transaction system 110 includes an option for a viewing user tocompare their costs or profitability to an average costs orprofitability of other users of the online agricultural system.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example process for modifying a croptransportation interface to display transportation prices, according tovarious embodiments. In an embodiment, the steps of FIG. 14 areperformed by the crop transportation system 150. In other embodiments,the steps may be performed by other entities. In various embodiments,the method may include different and/or additional steps, and the stepsmay be performed in different orders than those described in conjunctionwith FIG. 14.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses 1405 an interaction betweena crop producer and an acquiring entity associated with a crop productlisting. The interaction identifies a crop product type, a crop productquantity, a crop product pick-up location, and a crop productdestination location. In some embodiments, the interaction identifiesadditional information for crop transportation, such as a crop productpick-up date or time, a crop product drop-off date or time, and thelike. The crop transportation system 150 identifies 1410, in real-time,a set of transportation entities. Each transportation entity of the setof transportation entities is identified as being able to transport thecrop product from the crop product pick-up location to the crop productdestination location, based at least in part on one or more factorsincluding: a distance between the crop product pick-up location and thecrop product destination location, environmental factors associated withtransporting the crop product, and equipment requirements associatedwith transporting the crop product.

The crop transportation system 150 modifies 1415 an interface displayedby a client device of a transportation entity of the identified set oftransportation entities to include a transportation price fortransporting the crop product. In an embodiment, the transportationprice is computed based at least in part on: a distance between thetransportation entity and the crop product pick-up location, thedistance between the crop product pick-up location and the crop productdestination location, and the environmental factors associated withtransporting the crop product. The modified interface including thetransportation price is configured to, in response to a selection of thetransportation price by the transportation entity, automatically executea contract with the transportation entity to pick-up the crop product atthe crop product pick-up location and to transport the crop product tothe crop product destination location in exchange for compensation basedon the transportation price.

Agricultural Transportation Entity Identification and Selection

Crop transportation costs may impact the profitability of crop producttransactions executed on an online agricultural system. Because croptransportation costs depend on many external factors, such as a pick-uplocation for the crop product, a destination location for the cropproduct, crop transportation logistics, equipment required for croptransportation, and environmental factors impacting the croptransportation, it may be difficult for crop producers or prospectiveacquiring entities to select transportation entities to transport cropproducts. Similarly, it may be difficult for transportation entities toidentify profitable opportunities to transport a crop good correspondingto preferences of the transportation entity for preferred locations orwindows for pick-up or delivery, preferred crop product types orquantities, preferred distances traveled, and other logisticalpreferences. The crop transportation system provides a method foridentifying and selecting transportation entities corresponding to therequirements of the opportunity and the preferences of thetransportation entities.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses a crop product transactionwithin an agricultural system (e.g., a centralized crop transactionsystem 110 linked to the crop transaction system) and identifiesinformation describing the crop product transaction. The informationincludes a pick-up location, a destination location, a pick-up window, adelivery window, a crop product type, and a quantity of the cropproduct. In some embodiments, the crop product transaction is anagreement by an acquiring entity associated with the destinationlocation to purchase the crop product provided by a crop producerassociated with the pick-up location. The pick-up window is given as abeginning time and an ending time, between which the crop product mustbe picked up. Similarly, the delivery window is given as a beginningtime and an ending time, between which the crop product must bedelivered.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses environmental informationdescribing expected environmental conditions during transportation ofthe crop product and historic information describing previoustransportation availability and prices associated with the pick-uplocation and the destination location. In some embodiments, theenvironmental information describes one or more of: predicted weatherconditions between the pick-up location and the destination location,predicted traffic conditions between the pick-up location and thedestination location, and predicted wait times to load the crop productat the pick-up location or to unload the crop product at the destinationlocation. In further embodiments, the environmental informationadditionally describes a set of expected environmental conditionsimmediately before or during the pick-up window or immediately before orduring the delivery window. In some embodiments, the crop transportationsystem 150 accesses up-to-date environmental information in real-timebased on one or more external data sources 120 including satellite data,traffic monitoring data, data from electronic logging devices, and datafrom cell phone transmissions.

The crop transportation system 150 computes a transportation price foreach of one or more candidate transportation entities across one or morecandidate transportation routes between the pick-up location and thedestination location. In some embodiments, the one or more candidatetransportation entities are selected by the crop transportation system150 based on one or more of: a trustworthiness or reputation score orother rating of the transportation entity, a current location of thetransportation entity, a current heading of the transportation entity,an average speed of the transportation entity, an engine revolutions perminute (RPM), a miles per gallon (MPG), a measure of engine efficiency,a proximity to pick-up location, a proximity to a facility for cleaningtransportation equipment (e.g., a facility for washing a hoppertrailer), an estimated cost of operation, and an inferred or reportedpreference of the transportation entity. The computed transportationprices can be computed based on a computed transportation cost fortransporting the crop product. Each of the one or more candidatetransportation entities is able to pick up the crop product at thepick-up location during the pick-up window and deliver the crop productto the destination during the delivery window. The transportation costis computed based at least in part on one or more of: the crop producttype, the crop quantity, and the accessed environmental and historicinformation. In some embodiments, the transportation cost is computedbased further on a current season or a season during a future deliverywindow (e.g., transportation during high-demand seasons increases atransportation cost; transportation during seasons associated withweather conditions impacting crop quality increases a transportationcost, and the like). In some embodiments, the computed transportationcost for a candidate transportation route changes in real-time based onchanges in weather conditions or other factors impacting the candidatetransportation route. In some embodiments, the computed transportationcost for a candidate transportation route is additionally based at leastin part on one or more preferences of the requesting user. For example,the crop transportation system 150 determines a preference for atransportation entity or characteristics of a transportation entity forthe requesting user or similar users based on historic transactions.

In some embodiments, the crop transportation system 150 computes thetransportation cost and/or the transportation price for a candidatetransportation route using a machine-learned model. The machine-learnedmodel is trained at least in part on the accessed historic information.Different machine learning techniques—such as neural networks, k-meansclustering machine learning models, and reinforcement learningmodels—may be used in different embodiments. In some embodiments, themachine-learned model receives as input information describing a croptransaction on the online agricultural system and environmentalinformation associated with the crop transaction, and generates asoutput the transportation cost and/or the transportation price for atransportation route.

In some embodiments, the computed transportation prices are displayed toa requesting user of the crop transportation system 150. For example,the requesting user is a transportation entity or another entityassociated with a transaction executed on the centralized croptransaction system 110. In some embodiments as described above, thecomputed transportation prices are displayed via a centralized croptransaction system 110. For example, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 modifies a user interface to incorporate the computed croptransportation prices with prices associated with the crop transaction.In other embodiments, the computed transportation prices are displayedvia the crop transportation system 150 to a candidate transportationentity. In some embodiments, a lowest computed transportation cost isused to calculate a transportation price that is displayed via the userinterface in conjunction with information identifying the correspondingtransportation entity. In other embodiments, multiple transportationprices are displayed via the user interface. In some embodiments, theuser interface is configured such that, responsive to an input (e.g., aselection or other interaction) from the requesting user, the onlineagricultural system automatically executes a contract for a selectedtransportation entity to pick-up the crop product at the pick-uplocation and to transport the crop product to the destination locationover a selected transportation route in exchange for compensation basedon a lowest computed transportation price.

In some embodiments, the computed transportation costs are displayed toa requesting user of the crop transportation system 150. For example,the requesting user is a transportation entity or another entityassociated with a transaction executed on the centralized croptransaction system 110. In some embodiments as described above, thecomputed transportation costs displayed via a centralized croptransaction system 110. For example, the centralized crop transactionsystem 110 modifies a user interface to incorporate the computed croptransportation costs with prices associated with the crop transaction.In other embodiments, one or more computed transportation costs of acandidate transportation entity are displayed via the croptransportation system 150 to the candidate transportation entity. Inother embodiments, multiple transportation costs are displayed via theuser interface. In some embodiments, a transportation cost of atransportation entity is displayed to a user other than thetransportation entity only if the transportation cost is included in anaverage, aggregate or otherwise anonymized.

The crop transportation system 150 additionally displays, fortransportation entities 160 requesting opportunities to transport a cropproduct, one or more opportunities to transport a crop product based ontransportation entity preferences. Because logistics associated withpick-up and delivery of crop products is not standardized,transportation entities 160 may indicate or display preferences for cropproducers or prospective acquiring entities based on wait timesassociated with pick-up or delivery at particular locations, equipmentrequirements at particular locations, traffic or other environmentalconditions at particular locations, and the like.

For a crop product transaction within an online agricultural system, thecrop transportation system 150 identifies a pick-up location for thecrop product, a destination location for the crop product, a pick-upwindow, a delivery window, a type of crop product, and a quantity ofcrop product. Based on the information describing the crop producttransaction, the crop transportation system 150 identifies a set ofcandidate transportation entities capable of picking up the crop productat the pick-up location during the pick-up window and delivering thecrop product at the destination location during the delivery window.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses, for each candidatetransportation entity, a set of transportation preferences associatedwith the candidate transportation entity. Transportation preferences maybe selected by the candidate transportation entity or inferred for thecandidate transportation entity (e.g., based on historic croptransportation). Transportation preferences may include one or more of:a preferred transportation route distance; a preferred geographic regionin which a pick-up location is located; a preferred pick-up location; apreferred geographic region in which a destination location is located;a preferred destination location; preferred loading or unloadingequipment; preferred average transportation route distance per day; apreferred crop product for transportation; a preferred quantity of cropproduct to be transported; a preference threshold of crop quantity to betransported; a preferred one or more roads to travel duringtransportation; a preferred pick-up window range or a preferred deliverywindow range (e.g., a preferred season, a preferred time of day, apreferred day of the week), and the like.

Based on the accessed transportation preferences, the croptransportation system 150 computes a transportation price fortransporting the crop for each of the candidate transportation entities.The transportation price can be computed based on a transportation cost,which in turn can be computed based at least in part on the crop producttype, the crop quantity, and the set of transportation preferences. Insome embodiments, the transportation prices can be computed based on anexpected or desired net profitability for the crop transportation system150. In some embodiments, the transportation price can additional becomputed based on the transportation preferences of the transportationentity (e.g., an available backhaul opportunity, a pick-up or drop-offlocation corresponding to a preferred location of the transportationentity). While in many embodiments, a lowest transportation priceassociated with a set of candidate transportation entities can bedisplayed to all of the candidate transportation entities, in someembodiments, a higher transportation price can be presented to aparticular candidate transportation entity in order to increase thelikelihood that the candidate transportation entity accepts a relatedopportunity (such as a backhaul opportunity).

In some embodiments, a transportation opportunity may be displayeddifferent members of a set of candidate transportation entities atdifferent times. For example, a transportation opportunity may first bepresented to one or more transportation providers having a current oranticipated location that such that that those entities can mostprofitably fulfill a set of transportation opportunities. For example, atransportation entity may most profitability fulfill a set oftransportation opportunities where the sum of the difference between thecurrent or anticipated location of the transportation entity and thefirst pick-up location of the set of transportation opportunities andthe difference between last drop-off location of the set oftransportation opportunities and the transportation entity's homelocation is less than for any other candidate transportation provider.In some embodiments, a transportation opportunity may first be presentedto one or more transportation providers estimated to have the highestlikelihood of fulfilling the transportation opportunity. Atransportation opportunity first offered to one or more candidatesselected from a set of candidate transportation entities, may later beoffered to another one or more candidates selected from the set. Thetransportation price of the later offer may be the same, more or lessthan the transportation price of the first offer. A later offer may bemade if none of the transportation entities of the first one or morecandidates selected from a set of candidate transportation entities hasnot accepted the opportunity within a specified period of time (e.g. 30minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, 12 hours, etc.) from the first offer.

The crop transportation system 150 modifies an interface displayed to atransportation entity of the set of candidate transportation entities toinclude one or more opportunities to transport a crop in conjunctionwith the corresponding transportation prices. In some embodiments, theinterface additionally displays information describing the croptransportation opportunity, such as the pick-up location and window, thedestination location and delivery window, and an identity or identifierfor the entities executing the crop transaction. In some embodiments,the interface further displays information such as equipmentavailability for loading or unloading the crop product and one or moreratings or reviews associated with entities executing the croptransaction. The user interface is configured to receive an input fromthe transportation entity (e.g., a selection or other interaction) and,responsive to the input, automatically execute a contract with thetransportation entity to perform the crop transportation in exchange forcompensation based on the transportation price.

FIGS. 15A-B illustrate an example for arranging for crop transportationbased on transportation entity transportation prices, according tovarious embodiments. FIG. 15A illustrates a map of a geographic areadisplaying an executed crop transaction between a crop producer 1510 anda prospective acquiring entity 1520, the executed crop transactionrequiring a transportation entity to transport the crop product 1515from a pick-up location associated with the crop producer 1510 to adestination location for delivery associated with the prospectiveacquiring entity 1520. The crop transportation system 150 identifies aset of candidate transportation entities 1525, each candidatetransportation entity of the set of candidate transportation entitiesable to perform the crop transportation. For each candidatetransportation entity of the set of candidate transportation entities1525, the crop transportation system 150 computes a transportationprice. As described above, the transportation price is based on atransportation cost, which is computed based on one or more of: the cropproduct type, the crop product quantity, environmental informationdescribing expected environmental conditions during the transportationof the crop product, and historic information and prices associated withthe pick-up location and destination location.

FIG. 15B illustrates an example set of computed transportation costs fora set of candidate transportation entities 1525. A first candidatetransportation entity 1550A is associated with information describingthe candidate transportation entity (e.g., provided equipment “coveredcargo, in-cargo sensors . . . ”, ratings or reviews from other entitieson the crop transportation system 150). Based on information describingthe candidate transportation entity 1525A, the crop transportationsystem 150 determines a transportation cost associated with thecandidate transportation entity of $554.42. The crop transportationsystem 150 determines transportation costs for the second 1550B andthird 1550C candidate transportation entities at $542.65 and $490.50respectively.

In an embodiment, the crop transportation system 150 modifies aninterface for a requesting user to include the determined transportationcosts in conjunction with information describing the candidatetransportation entity. The modified interface is configured to receivean input from a requesting user and, responsive to the input, execute acontract with the transportation entity to complete the croptransportation. In some embodiments, the crop transportation system 150selects a candidate transportation entity without explicit input on thecandidate transportation entities from a requesting user, for instancein response to a request by a user to arrange for a crop to betransported. The interface is additionally configured to, responsive toan input (e.g., a selection of a button or link 1555) from a requestinguser, automatically execute a contract with the transportation entity toperform the crop transportation in exchange for compensation based onthe transportation cost.

FIGS. 16A-B illustrate an example for arranging for crop transportationbased on one or more transportation entity preferences, according tovarious embodiments. FIG. 16A illustrates a map of a geographic areadisplaying one or more executed crop transactions to transfer possessionof a crop product 1615 between a crop producer 1610 and a prospectiveacquiring entity. Although prospective acquiring entities are not shownon the map of FIG. 16A, it is understood that one or more prospectiveacquiring entities are associated with each executed crop transaction. Atransportation entity 1605 transmits a request to the croptransportation system 150 for an opportunity to transport a cropproduct. The crop transportation system 150 determines, for thetransportation entity 1605, a set of transportation preferences selectedby or inferred for the candidate transportation entity, thetransportation preferences describing one or more preferences forlocations, entities, or other logistics associated with a croptransportation.

FIG. 16B illustrates an example of one or more factors associated withan entity corresponding to transportation preferences specified by atransportation entity 1605. In the example of FIG. 16B, each entity 1610is a crop producer and is associated with information describing loadingequipment, pick-up dates, and the like. The crop transportation system150 accesses information describing the entity 1610 and determines,based on transportation preferences of the transportation entity 1605, alikelihood of the transportation entity accepting the correspondingopportunity to perform a crop transportation.

For example, a first crop producer 1610A is associated with a highoverall rating based on historic crop transportation with the same orother transportation entities, identifies a pick-up date of Mar. 21,2019, and provides equipment including a tractor and a forklift. Asecond crop producer 1610B is associated with a lower overall rating,identifies a pick-up date of Mar. 15, 2019, and provides equipmentincluding a forklift and pallets. A third crop producer 1610C isassociated with a lower overall rating, identifies a pick-up date ofApr. 20, 2019, and provides no equipment. The crop transaction system150 determines that the requesting transportation entity 1605 isunlikely to accept an opportunity associated with the first cropproducer 1610A due to the associated pick-up rate not being within apreferred pick-up window. The crop transaction system 150 additionallydetermines that the requesting transportation entity 1605 is unlikely toaccept an opportunity associated with the third crop producer 1610C dueto a lack of provided equipment by the third crop producer. The croptransaction system 150 accordingly determines that the requestingtransportation entity 1605 is most likely to accept an opportunityassociated with the second crop producer 1610B and computes one or moretransportation prices accordingly. In other embodiments, entities may beprospective acquiring entities associated with information describingunloading information, delivery dates, and the like. It should be notedthat in some embodiments, a transportation price is computed based on acomputed transportation cost plus an expected transportation entityprofit margin that is determined to result in a greater-than-thresholdlikelihood of acceptance by the transportation entity. Likewise, thetransportation price can be computed for each of a set of candidatetransportation entities accordingly, and the lowest transportation pricecorresponding to any one transportation entity can be displayed to allcandidate transportation entities.

Based at least in part on the set of transportation preferences andinformation describing the opportunities for crop transportation, thecrop transportation system 150 computes a transportation price for eachopportunity. The user interface for the transportation entity ismodified to include the computed transportation price and informationdescribing the corresponding opportunity to perform the croptransportation. For example, the user interface for the transportationentity is modified to include an anticipated cost for the transportationentity to perform the crop transportation and a competitive price forthe crop transportation, such that the transportation entity is able todetermine a profitability associated with accepting the opportunity. Insome examples, the crop transportation system 150 estimates and displaysan expected profitability for acceptance of the opportunity to thetransportation entity. In further examples, the crop transportationsystem 150 displays a listing of one or more opportunities ordered basedon an expected profitability. In some embodiments, the user interface isconfigured to receive an input from the transportation entity and,responsive to the input, execute a contract between the transportationentity and an entity associated with the opportunity to perform the croptransportation in exchange for compensation based on the transportationprice.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example process for modifying a crop transportinterface to display transportation prices based on historic andenvironmental information, according to various embodiments. In anembodiment, the steps of FIG. 17 are performed by the croptransportation system 150. In other embodiments, the steps may beperformed by other entities. In various embodiments, the method mayinclude different and/or additional steps, and the steps may beperformed in different orders than those described in conjunction withFIG. 17.

The crop transportation system 150 identifies 1710, information for acrop product transaction, such as a pick-up location of a crop product,a destination location of a crop product, a pick-up window, a deliverywindow, a type of crop product, and a quantity of crop product.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses 1715 environmentalinformation describing a set of expected environmental conditions duringthe transportation of the crop product from the pick-up location to thedestination location. For example, the crop transportation system 150accesses one or more external data sources 120 describing weather andtemperature conditions for a geographic area including the pick-uplocation and the destination location.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses 1720 historic informationdescribing previous transportation availability and prices associatedwith the pick-up location and the destination location. The croptransportation system 150 computes 1725 a transportation cost for eachof a set of one or more transportation entities over one or moretransportation routes between the pick-up location and the destinationlocation. Each transportation entity of the set of one or moretransportation entities is able to pick up the crop product at thepick-up location during the pick-up window and to deliver the cropproduct to the destination location during the delivery window. Thetransportation cost is computed based on the crop product type, the cropquantity, the accessed environmental information, and the accessedhistoric information. In some embodiments, the transportation cost iscomputed based on additional factors impacting crop transportation, suchas required equipment for transportation, local fuel costs, seasonaldemand for transportation, etc.

The crop transportation system 150 modifies 1730, for each of the set ofone or more transportation entities, an interface displayed by a clientdevice of the transportation entity to include a lowest transportationprice corresponding to any transportation entity and to identify atransportation route associated with the lowest transportation price.The modified interface is configured to, in response to an input from atransportation entity, automatically execute a contract with thetransportation entity to pick-up the crop product at the pick-uplocation and to transport the crop product to the destination locationin exchange for compensation based on the lowest transportation pricecomputed for the transportation entity.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example process for modifying a transportationentity interface to display transportation prices for crop producttransactions, according to various embodiments. In an embodiment, thesteps of FIG. 18 are performed by the crop transportation system 150. Inother embodiments, the steps may be performed by other entities. Invarious embodiments, the method may include different and/or additionalsteps, and the steps may be performed in different orders than thosedescribed in conjunction with FIG. 18.

The crop transportation system 150 identifies 1810 information for acrop product transaction. The information includes a pick-up location ofa crop product, a destination location of a crop product, a pick-upwindow, a delivery window, a type of crop product, and a quantity ofcrop product. The crop transportation system 150 identifies 1815 a setof candidate transportation entities each able to pick up the cropproduct at the pick-up location during the pick-up window and to deliverthe crop product to the destination location during the delivery window.Each candidate transportation entity is associated with a set oftransportation preferences selected by the candidate transportationentity.

The crop transportation system 150 computes 1820, for each candidatetransportation entity, a transportation price for transporting the cropproduct from the pick-up location to the destination location. In someembodiments, the transportation price is based on a computedtransportation cost, which in turn is based at least in part on the cropproduct type, the crop quantity, and the set of transportationpreferences associated with the candidate transportation entity. Foreach candidate transportation entity, the crop transportation system 150modifies 1825 an interface displayed by a client device of thetransportation entity to include the lowest transportation pricecomputed for any candidate transportation entity. The interface isconfigured to, in response to an input from the transportation entity,automatically execute a contract with the transportation entity to pickup the crop product at the pick-up location and to transport the cropproduct to the destination location in exchange for compensation basedon the transportation price computed for the transportation entity.

Agricultural Transportation Route Selection and Load Optimization

Route selection for crop transportation is impacted by many factors,including traffic and road information for an area associated with thetransport and environmental factors impacting the transport or the cropproduct during transportation. It is desirable for transportationentities that route selection optimizes for mileage/distance and time,and that severe or dangerous weather conditions are avoided.Additionally, however, environmental conditions may impact thetransportation of a crop product. Crop products may experiencedegradation due to weather (e.g., rain, extreme cold, extreme heat,humidity) that negatively impact one or more quality metrics associatedwith the crop product. While transportation equipment, such as coveredor temperature controlled containment for crop products, may mitigate oreliminate the effect of environmental conditions, it is valuable incases of transportation wherein crop products are at risk of degradationfor route selection to additionally mitigate the effect of environmentalconditions.

As described in conjunction with FIG. 12, the crop transportation system150 selects a route for a transportation entity 160 performing a croptransportation based at least in part on weather information describingexpected weather conditions within a geographic area including anoriginating location of the crop product and a destination location forthe delivery of the crop product. The crop transportation system 150identifies a set of candidate routes between the originating locationand the destination location based on map data describing the geographicarea including the originating location and the destination location. Insome embodiments, the set of candidate routes are within a thresholdmileage of each other (e.g., each route in the set of candidate routesis substantially the same distance). The crop transportation system 150accesses environmental data for the geographic area, including weatherinformation describing expected weather conditions. Based at least inpart on the accessed environmental data, the crop transportation system150 selects a route from the set of candidate routes for thetransportation entity 160. For example, the crop transportation system150 identifies a route of the set of candidate routes that is notexpected to, or is least likely to, travel through rain, high windconditions, an above-threshold humidity, an above-threshold temperature,or other adverse weather conditions.

In some embodiments, the crop transportation system 150 selects a routefor a transportation entity 160 transporting a crop based at least inpart on logistical information associated with the crop transportation.For example, the crop transportation system 150 determines, for apick-up location and/or a destination location, a real-time or estimatedwait time (e.g., to load or unload the crop product). A real-time waittime may be determined based on real-time satellite data. An estimatedwait time may be determined based on data received from electroniclogging devices or from cell phone transmissions. An estimated wait timemay additionally be determined based at least in part on historic waittimes associated with a location.

In some embodiments, the crop transportation system 150 selects a routefor a transportation entity 160 transporting a crop based at least inpart on factors impacting the effect of weather conditions on the cropproduct. For example, the crop transportation system 150 selects a routebased at least in part on a crop product type (e.g., a crop product typethat is more or less susceptible to weather conditions such asmoisture), a type of transportation equipment available (e.g.,temperature control or covered cargo vehicles, sensors enablingreal-time monitoring of conditions of the crop product or an environmentof the crop product during transport), and the like. In embodimentswhere one or more sensors are used to monitor the condition of the cropproduct during transport, sensor data may be monitored by one or more ofthe online agricultural system, the transportation entity, the cropproducer, and the prospective acquiring entity. In embodiments where oneor more sensors are used to monitor the condition of the crop productduring transport, the crop transportation system 150 may modify aselected route for the crop transportation based on the monitoredconditions during transport. For example, responsive to a sensoridentifying that a temperature of a crop product being transportedexceeds a threshold during transport, the crop transportation system 150modifies the selected route (e.g., through a lower-temperature region)to prevent further increase in temperature during transport.

In some embodiments, the crop transportation system 150 selects a routefor a transportation entity 160 transporting a crop based at least inpart to minimize risk of crop product degradation. For example, asdescribed above, the crop transportation system 150 selects a routebased at least in part on a crop product type (e.g., a crop product typethat is more or less susceptible to factors such as weather conditions;a crop product type that is more or less susceptible to breakage,damage, or other degradation due to rough terrain). For transportationof a crop product, the crop transportation system 150 determines one ormore factors impacting crop product degradation and modifies a selectedroute to minimize the risk of crop product degradation.

The crop transportation system 150 generates or modifies atransportation interface to display the selected route to thetransportation entity 160. The displayed route may be displayed within amap interface (e.g., static or updated in real-time based on locationdata from the transportation entity 160) and/or displayed with textinstructions for navigation. In some embodiments, the transportationinterface is further modified to display identified loading instructionsor unloading instructions responsive to location data identifying thatthe transportation entity 160 is within a threshold distance of thepick-up location or the destination location, respectively. In someembodiments, the transportation interface is further modified to displayreal-time or estimated wait times for loading or unloading the cropproduct at the pick-up location or the destination location,respectively.

In some embodiments, the transportation interface is further modified torequest user identification or verification, a wait time for loading orunloading, availability of loading or unloading equipment, current orpast environmental conditions, local input costs (for example, localfuel prices), local crop product prices (for example, elevator prices ofcrop products), identification or verification of traffic conditions,etc.

In some embodiments, the transportation interface is modified to displayto a transportation entity in progress of fulfilling a transportationopportunity a real-time estimate of the profitability of the currenttransportation opportunity. In some embodiments, the transportationinterface is further modified to display to a transportation entity acumulative estimate of the transportation entity's profitability over aperiod of time, for example, over the history of the transportationentity's use of the crop transportation system 150 or over a period oftime such as the preceding 30 days.

The crop transportation system 150 additionally receives requests fromtransportation entities 160 for crop product transportationopportunities and provides one or more crop product transportationopportunities optimized based on transportation prices and logisticalpreferences specified by the transportation entities. A transportationentity 160 submits to the crop transportation system 150 a request forone or more transportation opportunities, the request including one orboth of a transportation time period and a transportation mileage range.A transportation time period specifies a total travel period for whichthe transportation entity 160 is interested in providing croptransportation services. For example, the transportation time periodspecifies one or more of an end date and a departure date. Atransportation mileage range specifies a maximum mileage range to betraveled while performing the crop product transportation. In someexamples, the transportation mileage range is specified in associationwith a beginning location or end location, such that determinations fortransportation mileage account for mileage from the beginning locationto a first pick-up or to the end location from a last delivery.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses a set of crop producttransactions within the online agricultural system and performs one ormore optimization algorithms to determine a subset of crop producttransactions. The one or more optimization algorithms maximizes a profitor revenue for the transportation entity 160 while adhering to thetransportation time period, transportation mileage range, and any otherspecified preferences by the transportation entity. In an examplewherein the transportation entity 160 specifies a transportation timeperiod, the crop transportation system 150 selects crop producttransactions wherein the estimated dates for pick-up, delivery, or totaltravel time does not exceed the time period. In another example, thetransportation entity 160 specifies a transportation mileage range andthe crop transportation system 150 selects crop product transactionswhere the total distance required to transport the crop products doesnot exceed the maximum mileage range. In some embodiments, the croptransportation system 150 selects crop product transactions wherein apick-up or delivery location is within a threshold distance from aspecified beginning location or end location, respectively. In someembodiments, the crop transportation system 150 selects a first cropproduct transaction and a second crop product transaction, such that thesecond crop product transaction is selected based on a distance betweenthe pick-up location of the second crop product transaction and adelivery location of the first crop product transaction.

FIGS. 19A-B illustrate examples for determining a route for transportinga crop product based on map data and environmental information,according to various embodiments. FIG. 19A illustrates an example mapfor a geographic area including a transportation route between a cropproducer at an originating location 1910 and a prospective acquiringentity at a destination location 1915. Based on the map data describingthe geographic area, the crop transportation system 150 identifies a setof candidate routes 1920 between the originating location 1910 and thedestination location 1915. In one embodiment, each route of the set ofcandidate routes 1920 is associated with a mileage within a thresholdsimilarity to other routes of the set of candidate routes.

FIG. 19B illustrates, for the geographic area of FIG. 19A, environmentaldata impacting crop transportation. The crop transportation system 150identifies one or more predicted weather conditions 1925 that may impactthe transportation of the crop product from the originating location1910 to the destination location 1915. In the example of FIG. 19B,weather conditions including high winds 1925A and rain 1925B areidentified by the crop transportation system 150 as being predicted forportions of the geographic area. Responsive to determining that one ormore weather conditions 1925 may impact transportation of crop product(e.g., cause degradation of one or more quality metrics for the cropproduct or prevent timely transportation), the crop transportationsystem 150 identifies a route 1920B of the set of candidate routes thatis not expected to travel through the weather conditions 1925. The route1920B is selected by the crop transportation system 150 for the croptransportation and is transmitted to the requesting transportationentity 160.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example process for determining a route fortransporting a crop product, according to various embodiments. In anembodiment, the steps of FIG. 20 are performed by the croptransportation system 150. In other embodiments, the steps may beperformed by other entities. In various embodiments, the method mayinclude different and/or additional steps, and the steps may beperformed in different orders than those described in conjunction withFIG. 20.

The crop transportation system 150 receives 2005, via a transportationinterface displayed by a client device of a requesting entity, a requestfor a route to transport a crop product. In one embodiment, the requestidentifies a crop product listing associated with the crop product. Thecrop transportation system 150 identifies 2010 information for the cropproduct, including a pick-up location of the crop product, a destinationlocation of the crop product, a crop product type, and a crop productquantity.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses 2015 map data. The map datadescribes a geographic area including the pick-up location and thedestination location and includes road information and traffic data. Inan embodiment, the map data includes additional information describingthe geographic area, including buildings, fueling stations, boundariesbetween areas, elevation, and the like. The crop transportation system150 identifies 2020 a set of candidate routes between the pick-uplocation and the destination location based on the accessed map data. Insome embodiments, crop transportation system 150 calculates one or moreof the average change of elevation over the sets of candidate routes,the expected fuel consumption over the sets of candidate routes, and theexpected to complete delivery over each of the sets of candidate routes.

The crop transportation system 150 accesses 2025 weather informationdescribing expected weather conditions within the geographic area. Thecrop transportation system 150 selects 2030 a route from the set ofcandidate routes based on the accessed weather information. For example,the crop transportation system 150 selects a route to navigate around astorm that might impact quality of the crop product being transported.In another example, the crop transportation system 150 determines thatthere are no weather conditions that impact the crop product in thegeographic area and selects a fastest route to complete the croptransportation. The crop transportation system 150 modifies 2035 thetransportation interface of the requesting entity to display theselected route.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example process for identifying crop producttransactions based on maximizing transportation price, according tovarious embodiments. In an embodiment, the steps of FIG. 21 areperformed by the crop transportation system 150. In other embodiments,the steps may be performed by other entities. In various embodiments,the method may include different and/or additional steps, and the stepsmay be performed in different orders than those described in conjunctionwith FIG. 21.

The crop transportation system 150 receives 2105, via a transportationinterface displayed by a client device of a transportation entity, arequest to transport one or more crop products. The request includes oneor both of a transportation time period and a transportation mileagerange. For example, the request identifies a period of one or more daysand a mileage threshold of one hundred miles. The crop transportationsystem 150 accesses 2110 a set of crop product transactions. Each cropproduct transaction includes information describing the crop producttransaction, such as a pick-up location, a destination location, apick-up window, a delivery window, a transportation price, and a type ofcrop product.

Based on the accessed information, the crop transportation system 150selects 2115 a subset of the crop product transactions that optimizes asum of transportation prices without exceeding the transportation timeperiod or the transportation mileage range. For example, the croptransportation system 150 identifies one or more crop producttransactions from the set of crop product transactions. The croptransportation system 150 modifies 2120 the transportation interface todisplay the selected subset of one or more crop product transactions.For instance, the crop transportation system 150 can modify a mapinterface to display a set of routes between each of the pick-up anddestination locations associated with the selected subset of cropproduct transactions. In a further example, each of the displayed set ofroutes is associated with an estimated profitability. The transportationentity can elect to transport crops associated with the selected subsetof crop product transactions, for instance via the transportationinterface.

Other Considerations

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for thepurpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe patent rights to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in therelevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations arepossible in light of the above disclosure. For example, while referenceis made to the listing of crop products within an online agriculturalsystem, in practice the methods of interaction described herein canapply equally to objects, goods, commodities, or products other thancrop products (e.g., non-agricultural goods or products). Likewise, themethods of transportation of crop products described here can applyequally to objects, goods, commodities, or products other than cropproducts.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information.These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used bythose skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance oftheir work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations,while described functionally, computationally, or logically, areunderstood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalentelectrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, as notedabove, the described operations and their associated modules may beembodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments may also relate to an apparatus or system for performing theoperations herein. Such an apparatus or system may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfiguredby a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer programmay be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storagemedium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus.Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification mayinclude a single processor or may be architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability.

Embodiments may also relate to a product that is produced by a computingprocess described herein. Such a product may include informationresulting from a computing process, where the information is stored on anon-transitory, computer readable storage medium and may include anyembodiment of a computer program product or other data described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the patent rights. It istherefore intended that the scope of the patent rights be limited not bythis detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of thepatent rights, which is set forth in the following claims.

1-51. (canceled)
 52. A method for managing real-time interactions in anonline agricultural system comprising: receiving, from a first cropproducer, a first request to list a first crop product within an onlineagricultural system, the first request identifying at least one of: afirst crop product type, a first quantity of the first crop product, afirst crop product price, a first quality specification of the firstcrop product, and a first location of the first crop product; receiving,from a second crop producer, a second request to list a second cropproduct within an online agricultural system, the second requestidentifying at least one of: a second crop product type, a secondquantity of the second crop product, a second crop product price, asecond quality specification of the second crop product, and a secondlocation of the second crop product; receiving, from a first prospectiveacquiring entity, a third request to acquire a third crop product, thethird request identifying a third crop product type, a third quantity ofthe third crop product, a third crop product price, a qualityrequirement of the third crop product, and a third location to which thethird crop product is to be delivered; in response to 1) the firstquality specification failing to satisfy the quality requirement, 2) thesecond quality specification failing to satisfy the quality requirement,3) a combination of a fourth quantity of the first crop product and afifth quantity of the second crop product satisfying the qualityrequirement, and 4) the combined cost of the fourth quantity and thefifth quantity being less than or equal to the total cost the secondquantity: automatically executing a first contract between the onlineagricultural system and the first crop producer to purchase the fourthquantity of the first crop product from the first crop producer;automatically executing a second contract between the onlineagricultural system and the second crop producer to purchase the fifthquantity of the second crop product from the second crop producer; andautomatically executing a third contract between the online agriculturalsystem and the first prospective acquiring entity to sell the fourthquantity of the first crop product and the fifth quantity of the secondcrop product to the first prospective acquiring entity.
 53. The methodof claim 52, further comprising: in response to executing the firstcontract, the second contract, and the third contract, automaticallyarranging for a transfer of possession of the fourth quantity of firstcrop product and the fifth quantity of the second crop product cropproduct to the first prospective acquiring entity.
 54. The method ofclaim 53, wherein arranging for the transfer of possession of the fourthquantity of first crop product and the fifth quantity of the second cropproduct crop product to the first prospective acquiring entity comprisesone of: automatically sending transportation instructions to atransportation entity, confirming that the first crop producer and thesecond crop product are responsible for the transfer of possession, andconfirming that the first prospective acquiring entity is responsiblefor the transfer of possession.
 55. The method of claim 54, wherein thetransportation instructions include the first location, the secondlocation, the third location, and a delivery window.
 56. The method ofclaim 52, wherein the first quality specification, the second qualityspecification, and the quality requirement identify one or more physicalor chemical attributes of a crop product comprising one or more of: avariety, a genetic trait or lack thereof, a genetic modification or lackthereof, a genomic edit or lack thereof, an epigenetic signature or lackthereof, a moisture content, a protein content, a carbohydrate content,an ash content, a fiber content, a fiber quality, a fat content, an oilcontent, a color, a whiteness, a weight, a transparency, a hardness, apercent chalky grains, a proportion of corneous endosperm, a presence orabsence of foreign matter, a number or percentage of broken kernels, anumber or percentage of kernels with stress cracks, a falling number, afarinograph, an adsorption of water, a milling degree, an immaturegrains, a kernel size distribution, an average grain, a length, anaverage grain breadth, a kernel volume, a density, an LB ratio, a wetgluten, a sodium dodecyl, a sulfate sedimentation, toxin levels (forexample, mycotoxin levels, including vomitoxin, fumonisin, ochratoxin,or aflatoxin levels), and damage levels (for example, mold, insect,heat, cold, frost or other material damage).
 57. The method of claim 52,wherein the first quality specification, the second qualityspecification, and the quality requirement identify one or moreattributes of a production method of a crop product or an environment inwhich the crop product was produced comprising one or more of: a soiltype, a soil chemistry, a soil structure, a climate, weather, amagnitude or frequency of weather events, a soil or air temperature, asoil or air moisture, degree days, a measure of rain, an irrigationtype, a tillage frequency, a cover crop (present and/or historical), acrop rotation, organic grown, shade grown, greenhouse grown, levels andtypes of fertilizer use, levels and types of chemical use, levels andtypes of herbicide use, pesticide-free grown, levels and types ofpesticides use, no-till grown, fair wage grown, a geography ofproduction (for example, country of origin, American Viticultural Area,mountain grown), pollution-free grown, and carbon neutral grown.
 58. Themethod of claim 52, wherein the first quality specification, the secondquality specification, and the quality requirement identify one or moreattributes of how the crop product is stored comprising one or more of:a type of storage, environment conditions of the storage, a preservationtype, and a length of time of storage.
 59. The method of claim 52,wherein the first quality specification, the second qualityspecification, and the quality requirement identify a grading orcertification by an organization or agency.
 60. The method of claim 52,wherein the third price is a price ladder.
 61. The method of claim 60,wherein the price ladder is a quality based price ladder.
 62. The methodof claim 52, wherein the first request identifies the first location ofthe first crop product and wherein the second request identifies thelocation of the second crop product.
 63. The method of claim 62, whereinthe first location and the second location comprise one or more of: afield boundary, a production location, and a storage location.
 64. Themethod of claim 52, wherein the first crop product and the second cropproduct comprise one or more of: an unprocessed crop, a crop that hasnot been harvested, or a crop that has been harvested.
 65. The method ofclaim 52, further comprising obtaining remote sensing data for the firstlocation of the first crop product, wherein the first crop product is acrop that has not been harvested.
 66. The method of claim 65, whereinone or more of the first crop product type, the first quantity of thefirst crop product, and the first quality specification of the firstcrop product is inferred from the remote sensing data.
 67. The method ofclaim 52, wherein a first quality specification is inferred from thefirst request and/or the second quality specification is inferred fromthe second request.
 68. The method of claim 52, wherein the thirdquantity of the third crop product comprises a number of units oftransportation selected from: truck loads, train car loads, and bargeloads.
 69. The method of claim 52, further comprising: displaying, bythe online agricultural system within an interface displayed by a clientdevice of the first prospective acquiring entity, an expecteddistribution of prices or an expected average price of the third cropproduct for the first prospective acquiring entity to acquire the thirdquantity of the third crop product.
 70. The method of claim 52, furthercomprising: displaying, by the online agricultural system within aninterface displayed by a client device of the first prospectiveacquiring entity, a distribution of geographic locations from which thethird crop product is expected to be acquired for the first prospectiveacquiring entity to acquire the third quantity of the third cropproduct.
 71. The method of claim 70, wherein the interface comprises amap.
 72. The method of claim 52, wherein the first crop product type,the second crop product type, and the third crop product type are thesame.
 73. The method of claim 52, wherein the first crop product type,the second crop product type, and the third crop product type aredifferent.
 74. A system for managing real-time interactions in an onlineagricultural system comprising: a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed,cause the system to perform steps comprising: receiving, from a firstcrop producer, a first request to list a first crop product within anonline agricultural system, the first request identifying at least oneof: a first crop product type, a first quantity of the first cropproduct, a first crop product price, a first quality specification ofthe first crop product, and a first location of the first crop product;receiving, from a second crop producer, a second request to list asecond crop product within an online agricultural system, the secondrequest identifying at least one of: a second crop product type, asecond quantity of the second crop product, a second crop product price,a second quality specification of the second crop product, and a secondlocation of the second crop product; receiving, from a first prospectiveacquiring entity, a third request to acquire a third crop product, thethird request identifying a third crop product type, a third quantity ofthe third crop product, a third crop product price, a qualityrequirement of the third crop product, and a third location to which thethird crop product is to be delivered; in response to 1) the firstquality specification failing to satisfy the quality requirement, 2) thesecond quality specification failing to satisfy the quality requirement,3) a combination of a fourth quantity of the first crop product and afifth quantity of the second crop product satisfying the qualityrequirement, and 4) the combined cost of the fourth quantity and thefifth quantity being less than or equal to the total cost the secondquantity: automatically executing a first contract between the onlineagricultural system and the first crop producer to purchase the fourthquantity of the first crop product from the first crop producer;automatically executing a second contract between the onlineagricultural system and the second crop producer to purchase the fifthquantity of the second crop product from the second crop producer; andautomatically executing a third contract between the online agriculturalsystem and the first prospective acquiring entity to sell the fourthquantity of the first crop product and the fifth quantity of the secondcrop product to the first prospective acquiring entity; and a hardwareprocessor configured to execute the instructions.
 75. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions formanaging real-time interactions in an online agricultural system, theinstructions, when executed by a hardware processor, configured to causethe hardware processor to perform steps comprising: receiving, from afirst crop producer, a first request to list a first crop product withinan online agricultural system, the first request identifying at leastone of: a first crop product type, a first quantity of the first cropproduct, a first crop product price, a first quality specification ofthe first crop product, and a first location of the first crop product;receiving, from a second crop producer, a second request to list asecond crop product within an online agricultural system, the secondrequest identifying at least one of: a second crop product type, asecond quantity of the second crop product, a second crop product price,a second quality specification of the second crop product, and a secondlocation of the second crop product; receiving, from a first prospectiveacquiring entity, a third request to acquire a third crop product, thethird request identifying a third crop product type, a third quantity ofthe third crop product, a third crop product price, a qualityrequirement of the third crop product, and a third location to which thethird crop product is to be delivered; in response to 1) the firstquality specification failing to satisfy the quality requirement, 2) thesecond quality specification failing to satisfy the quality requirement,3) a combination of a fourth quantity of the first crop product and afifth quantity of the second crop product satisfying the qualityrequirement, and 4) the combined cost of the fourth quantity and thefifth quantity being less than or equal to the total cost the secondquantity: automatically executing a first contract between the onlineagricultural system and the first crop producer to purchase the fourthquantity of the first crop product from the first crop producer;automatically executing a second contract between the onlineagricultural system and the second crop producer to purchase the fifthquantity of the second crop product from the second crop producer; andautomatically executing a third contract between the online agriculturalsystem and the first prospective acquiring entity to sell the fourthquantity of the first crop product and the fifth quantity of the secondcrop product to the first prospective acquiring entity.